The Mountains and the Stars
by Night Sky Bliss
Summary: Story about life in Jackson after the end of the game. JoelxEllie romance. This story directly follows and is a sequel to a story I wrote called "The Truth". You don't have to read that to get into this, but it provides a little bit of background.
1. Together

**I do not own The Last of Us or any of its characters. They belong to Naughty Dog.**

Joel stretched and yawned as sat on the edge of the bed. He looked at Ellie, who was still sleeping. _What's a couple of more minutes, _as he went to the window and looked at the sky just beginning to lighten. He thought about last night, and realized what a weight had been lifted off his shoulders, now that he told Ellie the truth.

When she left the house after he told her, Joel feared the worst. As their eyes met, right before she left, Joel didn't see anger, but rather sadness and disappointment. _I should have told her the truth from the beginning, _he told himself after she left. _It's my burden. Whatever happens, if she leaves and never comes back, I deserve it. _ And so, Joel was filled with dread, worse than facing any clicker or bloater, that he would never see her again; the last he would see of her would be the flip of her auburn ponytail as she went through the door.

After she left, he couldn't move, couldn't really think. He just sat there on the couch, until sleep finally came. A faint click of the door started to wake him, and he felt Ellie sit next to him, hold his arm and lean her head against his shoulder. Tears welled in his eyes as he realized she came back.

"I'm sorry, Ellie. I'm so sorry," was all he could say. He started to put his arm around her, than hesitated. She took his hand in hers and pulled his arm around her and buried her head in his shoulder.

"Stay with me, Joel. Don't ever leave," she said.

"I won't, Ellie. I'll never leave you." They sat like that, in each other's arms, for a long time before going to bed.

A small voice pulled him back from his thoughts.

"Hey," Ellie said, "is it time to get up?"

"I'm not quiet enough or your hearing is too good. I was going to give you a few more minutes."

"It's okay. I'll get up," she said, swinging her legs to the floor as Joel left.

During their long trip west, Joel and Ellie started sharing whatever mattress or makeshift bed they slept on. At first it was for safety and warmth, but soon they realized they needed the comforting presence of each other.

Two weeks ago, after they arrived in Jackson and started living in their small house, Joel gave Ellie the bedroom. He made up a bed in the living room out of the well-used sleeping bag and blankets. The first night, though, Joel couldn't fall sleep without Ellie. _That's all right, _he thought. _She needs her privacy, and that's more important than me being comfortable. I'll get used to it._

Joel lay in his bed that first night, hoping to fall asleep, when he heard a faint sound of light steps. He opened his eye a slit and saw Ellie gently pulling the blanket back and quietly laying down.

"Hey," Joel said.

"I couldn't sleep." Ellie said. "Can I sleep here with you?"

"I'd like that. I couldn't sleep either." Joel replied.

Ellie pulled the blanket over her and nestled next to Joel. Within minutes, both were asleep.

The next morning, Ellie said, "Would you want to sleep in the bedroom? It's softer than the floor. I - I like sleeping with you."

"I do, too." Joel said.

It was an uneasy sleep in the two weeks since though, no doubt resulting from the conversation they had about the hospital and the Fireflies. Ellie was pretty sure what Joel told her wasn't the truth, but didn't call him on it. The uneasiness hovered over them, and an uneasiness in their sleep as well that didn't quite amount to insomnia.

_Last night, _Ellie thought, as she tied her hair back, _those feelings went away. Joel told me the truth. Now that I know how he feels, and what he did for me, it felt so good to sleep next to Joel. I know what really happened, and how much I mean to Joel and how much he means to me. Does that mean he - I know how I feel about him, and I'm pretty sure I know how he - he did say - Ellie, stop that, _she said to herself. _Just wait. We'll figure it out. This is the first time we've settled down and felt secure since, well, ever. _

Ellie finished getting ready and joined Joel in the living room.

"Did you have a good sleep?" Joel asked.

"Yeah. I had a weird dream, though. I was on a beach, in Hawaii, I guess, and I saw these infected coming. You picked me up and carried me into the ocean. The infected couldn't swim, so when they tried to get to us, they all drowned." Ellie said.

"Well, they got what they deserved. Surfing lessons were starting in five minutes and they just had to go mess things up." Joel said, making Ellie giggle. "I've never been to Hawaii." Joel said wistfully. "Guess I never will."

"I've always wanted to go, too." Ellie said. She walked to the window and looked outside at the brightening day. Ellie turned and looked at Joel, who had come up beside her. "Let's make that a promise to each other, or at least something we do if we can. One day, we'll go to Hawaii and sit on the beach. You better not forget you promised to teach me how to swim."

"Oh, I haven't." Joel said, and gently placed his hand on her shoulder. Ellie brought her right hand up and put it on top of his, holding it lightly. Joel looked into her eyes and she looked into his for a long moment.

"Um, we should probably go." Joel said.

"Yeah," Ellie said. "We should."

Some of the other town residents were at the main building that served as a common area for meals. At breakfast each morning, Joel and Ellie would see what needed to be done, and offer help. Lately, Ellie had been helping Sasha in the clinic and Joel had been helping enlarge paddocks for the horses.

As they came in, Joel saw Tommy, who beckoned them over. Tommy was sitting with two other men that Joel and Ellie recognized as Mike and Jim, empty plates in front of them.

"Mornin'," Tommy said. He and Ellie exchanged a knowing glance. She gave him a small smile.

"Mornin'" Joel said, nodding at the three. Mike and Jim nodded back.

"There's biscuits and gravy over there," Tommy said, gesturing to the wood-burning stove. "Help yourself."

Joel and Ellie filled their plates, drew some water from the pump and went back to sit down.

"Tommy tells me you two have some experience in making bombs." Mike said.

"A bit," Joel said. "A fella back east, Bill, taught us and we've set off a few making it here."

"Me and Jim, we've got a little background in explosives and stuff like that. We're thinking about ways to improve our defenses, at least until things get better. We could use some help, if you're willing." Mike said.

Joel looked at Ellie and they nodded. "Sure," Joel said. "When do we start?"

"Anytime you're ready. You know that building just east of the stable, the last building before the meadow starts? Take your time, finish your breakfast - we'll be there." Mike said, as he and Jim took their plates and left.

"I hope you didn't mind me telling them." Tommy said. "From what Ellie told Maria, you guys' bombs would take out a bloater. Figure you'd be able to help them out."

"No problem. We'll help. Unless you're still helping Dr. Sasha at the clinic." Joel said to Ellie.

"It's okay. I'll go by there and let her know. This sounds interesting." Ellie said.

* * *

Jim looked at the snow-covered mountains surrounding Jackson. _Next month, _he thought, _it will be five years since we came here. _After the cordyceps outbreak twenty years ago, he'd first resettled in the Columbus quarantine zone. That was where he met Mike. In Columbus, after several years under army rule, an insurgency of citizens that called themselves the Fireflies grew tired of martial law. Before long, full-scale war broke out between the army and insurgents. Jim and Mike saw the atrocities on both sides and decided to leave. They hitched a ride with some other people who were equally repulsed that people were fighting each other instead of the infected. The people they were with had heard that the Philadelphia and New York quarantine zones had been overrun. That left Boston as the closest QZ that was still secure.

So, Boston became their new home. Mike and Jim shared a common bond as they were both science teachers before the outbreak. They became good friends and eventually fell in love. Soon after they arrived, they realized that the army was enforcing strict martial law here, too. Citizens seemingly minding their own business were harassed by the army or worse. They witnessed random beatings and summary executions of people living there that disobeyed laws or challenged the army's authority. Like in Columbus, the insurgency group called the Fireflies existed here, too. Unlike Columbus, the Fireflies here didn't resort to violence, but rather their mission was to educate the citizens as to the army's atrocities. It was Jim and Mike's involvement with the Fireflies that they met Tommy and Marlene.

When Marlene became the leader of the Fireflies, Jim and Mike, and Tommy as well, noticed a shift in attitude and tactics of the Fireflies. At first, the goal of the Fireflies was to gather small groups of citizens together and let them know what the army was doing and how they could foster an underground insurgency. Under Marlene's leadership, however, that soon escalated into guerrilla attacks on the army. Soon, Marlene and the Fireflies' attitude towards the army became more hard line, with talk of attacks becoming more bold and damaging. I was like Columbus all over again.

Tommy, Jim and Mike had made plans to go on trips outside of the wall to scavenge for items and look for uninfected people still trickling in to the Boston QZ. Jim and Mike used their chemistry background to fashion incendiary devices to use on these trips. When Marlene heard about these, she told them she wanted to use the devices against the army. Jim and Mike told her 'no', after which Marlene ordered them at gunpoint to turn over the devices.

Tommy, ostensibly on Marlene's side, let them both quietly know that he was with them in opposing her tactics. After giving up a few of the devices, and seeing in horror that they were used to firebomb the soldiers' barracks as they slept, the three later quietly breached the wall and left. They traveled west; joined with other people they met, like Tommy's future wife, Maria, and eventually ended up in Jackson.

His reminiscing was interrupted by Mike. "Looks like they're coming." He said.

"I like them. That was a good idea you had to see if they wanted to help." Jim said.

"They're good folk. I'm glad they stuck around."

* * *

"So you guys blew stuff up for a living before the outbreak?" Ellie asked.

Ellie, Joel, Mike and Jim were standing around a large table.

"Well, he did," Jim said, nodding at Mike. "I was just a science teacher, only a few years out of school when the outbreak hit."

"Yeah?" Ellie said. "Were you in the army or something?" she asked Mike.

"I was," Mike said. "Before the outbreak. I was in the army engineers. We were the part that blew stuff up, made roads, that sort of thing. When I got out, I went into teaching science, too. Then a couple of years later the you-know-what hit the fan."

"Teachers, huh?" Ellie said. "I didn't have the best relationship with teachers."

"Well, that's because in the QZ they were know-it-all dicks." Jim said, getting a giggle out of Ellie. "Well it's true. They thought that because the army was running things that they had to be like a dictator. All that gets you is a bunch of rebellious students who for sure aren't going to want to learn anything. Speaking of learning things, you guys teach us. Tell us how you made the bombs."

Joel and Ellie explained how they made the nail bombs with explosive and nails, scissors and whatever bladed or pointy objects they could find.

Mike asked, "Did you guys ever add sand or some other heavy dirt?"

Joel and Ellie looked at each other and shook their heads. Mike went over to some shelves and pulled things off it. He went to the table and put the nail bomb materials he'd gotten off the shelves in front of him.

"I'll show you." Mike said. He took the metal can that was the bomb's body. "Ellie, can you hand me that small bag over there," he pointed to a bag sitting on the floor.

"Sure," Ellie said, walking over and bending to pick up the bag.

Joel stole a quick glance at Ellie. _Damn! Quit checking her out. _Joel fussed at himself.

Mike and Jim saw what Joel did and shared a glance and smile.

Ellie quickly picked up the bag and, as she turned around, her eyes met Joel's. She saw Joel's face turn red as she figured out what he was doing. She started to smile. _Busted. I just busted Joel. Again. _She put the bag on the table.

Mike continued. "Since sand is relatively heavy and inert, you put sand in the middle of the can in a form." He pulled a handful of sand out of the bag and put it in a smaller can inside the bomb casing. He pointed to the gap between the smaller can and the casing. "This is where you put the explosive, pack it in and lift the smaller can out. The explosive has something to push against and makes the outward blast more effective."

"We can set these off with a fuse that you light. But, that can be unreliable." Mike walked over to a stack of flat boxes and picked one up, put it on the table and opened it up. Inside the box, each in its own compartment was a round, metal object. Mike picked one up. "These are practice grenades we found at one of the national guard depots. They won't cause any damage, but we remove the detonator and pin," Mike unscrewed the firing pin and a short cylinder from the grenade. "We've did some experiments and found out that the detonator," he continued, pointing at the cylinder, "will set off the bomb. You really have to give the pin a hard yank to set it off, and I know I don't need to tell you to be careful once the detonator is set in the can. Since we cover the top with nails and whatever other metal fragments, we can seal the detonator in with good old duct tape."

The four worked into the afternoon with a break for lunch. They took turns removing the firing pins from the practice grenades, loading the cans with sand, explosive and shrapnel, and fitting the firing pins and sealing the bomb. Time passed quickly as they told stories from their respective trips west.

"So, what was his name, Bill - did Bill ever get his magazine back?" Jim asked.

"Nope. I guess it's still between Lincoln and Pittsburgh. Besides, he had plenty of them. I mean, they're all the same, aren't they?" Ellie asked.

"Umm …" Mike said, and the three men glanced at each other and turned red.

"I get it," Ellie said, smirking, "you wouldn't know."

"One time, we were in a bookstore, and hunters were all around," Joel said, changing the subject. "I'm hiding, waiting to sneak out of the back. There's this one hunter, standing two feet in front of a shelf of books. I see this hand come up and take a book off the shelf. It's Ellie, she takes it right from right under his nose and he didn't see or hear a thing."

"Yep," Ellie said. "I still have it."

"Well, what book was it?" Jim asked.

"A joke book." Ellie said. "I'll bring it tomorrow if you want to read it. I'm warning you, most of them will make you groan."

"I'm beat," Mike said, putting down the fuse he just finished. "What say we knock off for the day?"

"Just in time for supper, too." Jim said.

"Joanie said she was making a stew tonight. Let's get over there before they run out." Ellie said.

"Well if I know Joanie, there'll be enough for seconds and thirds if you can hold it." Joel said.

The four carefully put the completed bombs and other materials inside a large cabinet that Jim locked with a padlock. The stables were close by and they used the water pump there to wash up.

"Let's go eat." Joel said, putting his arm around Ellie's waist. She did the same to Joel as they walked to the dining hall. _This feels good. _Ellie thought. _I think I know. I think I should say something._

After supper, the daylight was disappearing as Joel and Ellie walked home. Ellie was lost in thought about Joel. At first, Joel saw her as just a package to be protected until he delivered her to the Fireflies. During the trip west, though, she felt his feelings toward her change. She sensed that Joel, who first was so hard and unfeeling, in time grew to care for her and love her, so much so that he rescued her, choosing her over the possibility of a cure. He would never be again the unfeeling, uncaring person this world tried to make him. She could see that Joel grew to see her as a partner, an equal, a companion and maybe more. Ellie felt herself growing close to him, not a closeness borne out of a necessity to survive, but a closeness between two people who, more than anything else, love and care for each other. It strengthened every day they were together and every mile they traveled. She found herself thinking that, after the Fireflies got the cure, _before I knew they were going to murder me_, they would stay together. She remembered finding a strength she didn't know she had to bring him back from near death because, selfishly, she knew she wanted to be with him. Was it love? Did she love him? Back then, when she asked herself that question she wanted to say 'yes' but couldn't be sure. Now, after thinking about last night and seeing Joel lay his soul bare to her, she knew that she did. If she had any doubts about how he felt about her, they were resolved when they looked in to each other's eyes this morning. She smiled to herself as she knew of the one thing she was certain of: she did love Joel and wanted to spend the rest of her life with him.

Joel was thinking as they walked, too. He remembered at first thinking that he had to get Ellie safely to the Fireflies because, if he did not, he would be failure to himself and a failure to Tess' memory. That Joel, the Joel that Tess knew, was dead. As he thought back, he realized that during his long journey with Ellie, he found something he thought he lost forever: his humanity. He slowly became aware that finally, after all of these years, he loved and cared for someone again. It wasn't like Sarah, though. That seemed like an eternity ago. He loved Sarah, but knew that she would grow up, become her own person and eventually leave him to start her own life. In the months and miles they were together, he saw that Ellie was already her own person, not someone who needed to be nurtured. As he spent time with Ellie, he realized that he loved her just as much, if not more, than Sarah, but in a different way. Joel realized how important she was to him and how much he came to love her as a companion and an equal. This morning, without thinking, he put his hand on her shoulder. Then, when he looked into her eyes and she looked into his, he could see what she felt for him and he hoped he was able to let her see how he felt toward her. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. _Because_ _I love her. More than anything. _

Joel drew himself out of his thoughts. He remarked, "Mike and Jim are good people. I'm glad they are here."

"Me, too," Ellie said. "So are they together? I mean as a couple?"

"I don't know," Joel said. "I guess I never noticed one way or the other."

"I'm pretty sure they are. You can see by the way they act around each other. I'll see them look at each other, or share glances - little things that show they're in love, that they're together as a couple."

"Yeah?" Joel asked.

"Yep." Ellie said. "Like sometimes, when Mike turns around, Jim will check him out."

Joel felt his face turn red as he realized Ellie had seen him earlier, looking at her.

"I saw what you did, when you looked at me," Ellie said with a smile.

"Ell-"

"No, it's okay. We've been with each other a long time. I've seen you, the way you act around me, the things you do when you probably think I wasn't watching or didn't see you. I'm pretty sure I know how you feel about me." They stopped walking. Ellie turned and looked into Joel's eyes. She reached for his hand and held it gently. "I feel the same way about you. I want to be together. I want to be a couple."

Joel reached his other hand up and softly touched her hair. "I do feel that way about you. I want to be with you, to live in this world, together, to face the things we have to face, together. You mean the world to me. I can't imagine living without you."

Ellie spoke. "I've thought a lot. Back, after we left Pittsburgh, the night before Sam turned, Sam and I were talking. He asked me what I was most afraid of. I said 'being by myself. I'm scared of ending up alone'."

"Ellie - that won't - I'll never-"

"I know. And when I realized that, I'll never have to worry about what makes me most scared, because I'm with you. You make me so happy, Joel. Happier than I ever thought I could be. I love you."

"I love you, Ellie."

Joel took Ellie's hands in his own. They shared their first kiss, gentle and sweet, in the cool twilight of Wyoming.

**A/N: Okay, I went there. And I'm going to go there. Let me tell you why. When writing fan fiction, I try to keep in mind that I'm writing in someone else's world they created, and my writing must accurately reflect that world. Certainly in our world, a romantic relationship between a fourteen year-old-girl and a late forties guy is unacceptable. This isn't our world, however. This is a post-apocalyptic, dystopian world where ninety percent of the people are dead, and who knows how many are infected. Many of the people surviving are no longer "human" in the common sense of the word. What about the good, decent people who keep their humanity? I feel, in writing for this world and these people, I should take into account the circumstances under which they are surviving and trying to make life better for themselves and their friends. If we consider these circumstances that exist in the world created by **_**The Last of Us, **_**whether or not two people get together and fall in love, I think, depends more on whether both are independent, mature, intelligent and rational and not dictated by some number. This story isn't only going to be just about Joel and Ellie. There are other, new characters that I hope add to the fascinating world that **_**The Last of Us **_**created. That being said, I am going to keep this rated "T". Thank you for taking the time to read. It is most appreciated.**


	2. The Good Shepherd

Mike and Jim shook the dew off of their shoes as they finished walking the fence line that surrounded the homes and buildings that made up Jackson. The place they knew as "Jackson" was actually three miles or so away from the traditional resort and ski town. The initial residents, while scouting settlement locations, came upon this collection of small, well-built and insulated houses that were located close together. This became their new home.

Back before the infection, an enterprising investor built these homes in this area, hoping to cash in on the wealthy tourists that flocked to Jackson. The investor, long-since forgotten and dead, had a bright idea to build rustic-looking homes and rent them out to the citified tourists. The tourists saw the wood, log-cabin motif and the fact they were three whole miles away from a Starbucks as ample proof they were, in fact, roughing it.

In fact, the investor's plan was a godsend to the new residents. Despite the fact that the houses, abandoned for years, fell in disrepair, the main structures and base construction were sturdy and hardly compromised. The residents worked tirelessly to make the repairs needed to the houses, build additional buildings used as common areas and stables, and construct a wall around the new "Jackson" and nearby hydroelectric plant. Some of the residents familiar with the area raided several abandoned military camps. One of the most valuable finds was several dozen large rolls of concertina wire. This cousin of barbed wire was wire studded not with barbs, but with razors. This guaranteed that anyone trying to breach it without special equipment or an armored vehicle would be cut to ribbons. The concertina wire topped the wall around Jackson and the hydroelectric plant. It was also used to enclose pasture areas used for horses.

The eleven horses that followed them around as they walked the fence line stood there, waiting for the carrots Mike and Jim brought them. Seven more horses watched from another pasture. These seven had only recently been brought to Jackson and were almost ready to join the main group. Horses were not difficult to find in this part of the country. The most difficult part was socializing the loose horses, who were not quite wild, with people again.

"Sorry, luvs, no more." Mike said after they gave out the last carrot. Jim opened the half-door that led into the barn and both men entered. On the way out through the barn, a female voice called out, "Was everything okay?"

The voice belonged to Caroline, who with her sister Meaghan, were pulling saddles and tack to go riding.

"Nothing amiss," Mike said. "Kathryn says she's about ready to let the seven we brought in last month join the herd. They were nosin' each other over the fence, so I think that's a good sign. She said they've ridden all of them, too, so they're saddle broke."

"Where are you guys off to?" Jim asked.

Meaghan held up her rifle. "Maria thought it would be a good idea to get an early start on winter rations. With the freezers running, she thinks we can store some meat for the winter. Be nice to have a change from the smoked stuff and jerky."

"It may get old, but it keeps us fed." Mike said. "This isn't your first winter here. We barely have enough now for every house to get its ration. Now with Joel and Ellie coming in, that's one more house. 'Course, with that good crop of potatoes that came in, it shouldn't be as touch and go as before." Mike saw the looks on Caroline and Meaghan's faces and gave them a reassuring smile. "Don't worry. I'm being a drama queen. We'll make it. We always do."

"Sorry." Meaghan said. "I didn't mean to sound ungrateful."

"You two are some of the best with a gun here. We need to take care of you." Mike said, giving Caroline, the older sister, a pat on the shoulder.

The sisters put their tack, backpacks and rifles down and went to get their horses. Meaghan said, "Oh, if you guys talk to Ellie, see if she wants to come with us one day."

"Sure thing. We'll let her know." Jim said.

* * *

Joel absent-mindedly twirled the curtain when he felt a soft hug from behind.

"Thank you," Ellie said.

"For what?"

"For what you said last night, about taking our time for - things," she said, blushing. "The last thing I want to do - if I carry - is hurt you. I probably shouldn't have even kissed you last night."

Joel turned around and stroked her hair. "I remember doing some kissing, too, and I didn't object." He paused for a second. "I've thought about this -"

"You've thought about making out with me?" Ellie asked with a twinkle in her eye. "Joel, you're turning red." Ellie giggled, then hugged him tighter.

"What I was saying," Joel said, failing to suppress a smile, "was that we've killed a lot of infected and I've got their blood and other stuff on me, and probably breathed it in and got it in my mouth. From everything I've seen, it takes an open wound, like a bite, or breathing in the spores, for the infection to pass. It has to get in the bloodstream directly. This infection acts a lot like a disease I remember before this outbreak called AIDS. It was a disease spread by infected needles and sexual contact, some way to have it pass directly into the bloodstream, too. It wasn't passed by just kissing, though." Joel looked into her eyes. "Even still, me just holding the prettiest girl I've ever seen close every night, and going to sleep with your hair tickling my nose makes me the happiest man in the world."

Ellie beamed as she walked to the small mirror on the wall and started brushing her hair. Joel lifted his shirt up and felt the scar on his stomach. Ellie saw him wince slightly in the mirror and turned around. "Does it still hurt?"

"Not really. It itches a little sometimes. Every time I see it or feel it, it reminds me of what you did for me. Everything you did, what you went through, for me, saying 'thank you' isn't ever going to be enough."

Ellie went to Joel and sat down on the bed with him and held his hand. "I was so scared. I couldn't stand the thought of being without you. Every time I could, I'd lie down next to you and put my hand and my head on your chest so I could feel you and hear your breathing. Every breath you took, that was you getting a little bit better."

"I kept having the same dream." Joel said. "I dreamed I was floating in water. I'd start to sink and panic. Then, I'd feel these hands beneath me. They were soft and gentle, but incredibly strong. These hands would lift me up and made me feel safe again. I'd hear a voice, too. It was the most beautiful voice I'd ever heard. It said 'I'm here, Joel. You're going to be okay'. Having that dream, knowing you were there, made me fight that much harder. I wanted to see you, to hear you, to be with you so much."

"I couldn't lose you, Joel. I just couldn't." Ellie leaned against Joel and hugged him. "We did it, together. But mostly me." Ellie said, leaning against him and putting her head on his shoulder.

* * *

After a morning of working on bomb materials, Mike, Jim, Joel and Ellie were at the mess hall for lunch. The fare was simple today - deer roast, boiled potatoes and turnip greens. All of the residents of Jackson, even the ones that had been there since the beginning, had vivid memories of surviving on stale canned goods and whatever else passed as food that could be found. These memories made a meal as simple as fresh potatoes and greens taste as good as anything from a fancy restaurant, not that any were around anymore.

"Hi, folks," Tommy said, as he and Maria came over to their table, along with a man and woman who looked to be in their thirties. "This is Jed and Elizabeth Carson. These are Mike, Jim, Ellie and Joel."

"Call me Beth," the young woman said.

After handshakes all around, Maria spoke.

"They came here all the way from Boston, too. We're going to have to start giving medals - seems like this is the Oregon Trail all over again. They had a fishing boat and do carpentry, so I have a feeling they'll be more than pulling their weight around here."

"So you must have known Robert, then," Joel said. "He ran the docks for a while when I was there."

"Yeah. He had his little extortion ring, taking a cut of whatever we brought in. I heard he had an accident and a guy named Max took over," Jed said. "Late last winter, the boat started leaking. It was old and needed work. Max said he'd give us what we needed to fix the boat if we signed the boat over to him. It was bad enough paying him twenty-five percent so he would leave us alone, but this wouldn't do. Without repairs, it wouldn't have made it the next spring. We weren't about to be indentured to that thug. We heard from some of the soldiers about this place. So, we struck out here last spring."

"We wanted to introduce you, but that's not the main reason for coming over here." Tommy said. "Jed and Beth ran into someone you know."

"Really." Joel said, interested.

"Do you know a guy, a big guy, dark hair, beard, name of Bill?" Jed asked.

"Bill? Last time we saw him, he was in a town outside of Boston called Lincoln."

"Not any more. We found him in Omaha. He was holed up in a church there. We were looking for supplies and found this church. It had a big iron fence around it, so we thought maybe there were supplies inside. He was putting up some kind of trap by the fence. He asked where we were going and I told him. He said that was where he was headed before he got sick and had to stay put for a while. He also said if we were to run into a guy named Joel and a girl named Ellie to see if there was any way you could come back and help him get to Jackson. He said 'ask them if they'll help me. Please."

"He said 'please'?" Joel asked.

"That's what he said."

Joel paused for a second. "In all of the years I've known Bill, he's never said 'please'. Not to anyone for any reason. He must want us to help him get here pretty bad."

"So he's a friend of yours?" Beth asked.

"Well, not exactly a friend." Joel said, as Ellie snorted in agreement. "What he might be, though, is the best person I've seen around cars and engines. I've seen him build a car from the ground up from scratch and repair an engine by the light of the moon." Joel looked at Tommy and Maria. "If we were to bring him here, he could get us some vehicles running."

"Whoa, whoa," Ellie said. "You're not thinking about helping that fu- helping him, are you?"

"Well, look at it this way. If you help him, he'll owe you big time, oh, pretty much forever." Joel said.

"Hmmph." Ellie said, leaning back and crossing her arms.

"Why didn't he come back here with you?" Jim asked.

"Bill said the only gate was swarming with infected. We didn't have much in the way of weapons. Some of 'em were getting close to us, so we had to run. He did throw us a bag with gun, a couple of clips and some food, though."

"Joel, it's a big risk." Maria said. "Huge. Is it worth taking? Whoever goes to get him putting their lives at risk for us? Ever since we've been here we've tried to get something running. I don't need to tell you what it would mean to have a vehicle or vehicles here. Simon, Olivia, Adam - they've tried to get something running. They've worked miracles giving us electricity, but engines and cars - that's outside their arena." Maria paused, thinking. "We've pretty much scavenged everything around here within a day's trip on horseback. Sasha needs more medicine and supplies. We need to do what's best for our little town. I can't make you go, Joel, but I think that Bill bringing what talents he has outweighs the risk."

Ellie spoke up. "If you go, Joel, I'm going with you. We stick together, remember? No way you go get Bill without me."

"I was going see if you'd want to go, but since you volunteered, I guess I don't have to ask." Joel said, as Ellie shot him a satisfied look.

"You're going to need a couple of folks to watch your back." Mike said. "What say, Jim, you ready for a little trip?"

"Always, my friend." Jim said.

"Guys, you don't have to -" Ellie said. She saw the looks on their faces. "But why should we have all the fun, right?"

"OK, then." Maria said. "Just two more people to convince."

* * *

"Let me get this straight. You want to take five of my horses on a trip across two states to find one man and bring him back here?" Miles said, gesturing with his hand in a big circle. Joel, Tommy and Maria had come to visit Miles and Kathryn right after lunch. "Okay, okay, I know they ain't my horses," Miles continued, "but we take care of them. They're safe here."

Kathryn was leaning against a stall, a hand in her pocket, when she spoke. "Maria, I know you say you don't run things around here, but you do. I know this isn't a kingdom and you aren't the queen, but you've kept us alive, you steered us through the first winters and helped get the people here that gave us electricity. I'm worried about the horses, too, but I'm more worried about Joel and Ellie and Mike and Jim. If you think them going out and bringing this guy back is important enough to outweigh the risk, then I'm with you." She looked at her husband, and he nodded.

Miles walked over to Joel and gave him a pat on the back. "I said what I did, so we know you'll be extra careful. Yeah, I'm worried about the horses, but you take care of them, they'll always bring you home."

"We will." Joel said. "We'll be here daybreak tomorrow."

Sasha Ivanov, or Dr. Sasha as she was known in Jackson, took the large plastic bottle of peroxide off of the shelf and handed it to Ellie. She was only fifteen when the infection came. Her parents were professors at the University of Chicago and died in the first few horrific days. She was a prodigy, starting her first year of medical school at Northwestern. She followed in the footsteps of her brother, Adam, who at seventeen was in his last year of a master's engineering program at Northwestern. After the outbreak they had lived in the Chicago QZ until it had become overrun.

While in Chicago, she apprenticed to the two doctors working there. Between the apprenticeship and reading every medical textbook she could borrow or find, she became, for all intents and purposes, a doctor. Sasha still had hopes of working on a cure, but the QZ didn't have the facilities and it was too dangerous to work in any of the nearby universities. So Sasha threw herself into treating the QZ residents and military for everyday medical problems, trauma, and infectious diseases.

Then, as it came to so many QZs, a mistake or lapse in attention allowed infected inside. Soon, Chicago was abandoned. The army, so concerned to protect the residents in the QZ, escaped in their armored vehicles and left the few remaining uninfected people to fend for themselves. Sasha and Adam struck out west and by sheer luck met up with Tommy's crew. They traveled with them to Jackson and became part of the town.

"Thanks for letting us have stuff for a first aid kit." Ellie said, packing the peroxide in a small bag, along with the rest of the medical supplies.

"You're welcome. Who is this guy you're supposed to get? He must be somebody we really want for you four to go all the way to Omaha to get him."

"Just a guy we know who is pretty good at fixing cars and stuff. He's not very nice, though. Do you have something we can stuff in his mouth so he doesn't talk?" Ellie sincerely asked.

"Now, Ellie." Sasha said.

Ellie held her serious look for three whole seconds before she smiled.

"You had me going there for a second." Sasha said, smiling as well.

"He seemed pretty desperate to ask for our help so I think he'll behave. I feel bad, though, helping out the guys these last couple of days and now leaving you for a couple of months. "

"I'll be okay. If I get somebody to come in and help, they won't be near as good as you. I mean that."

Ellie took a breath. "Dr. Sasha, after we come back, would it be okay if I stay here and help more or less permanent? We're supposed to pull shifts doing other things - I don't mind doing that - but when I can; I'd like to stay here."

"Of course, Ellie. You're a great help. I'd love for you to keep coming."

"And, can you teach me more things, about medicine? What I'm trying to say, I guess, is I think I want to work on being a doctor like you."

"I won't lie to you, Ellie. It is a lot of hard work." Sasha said. "I was about your age when I told Adam and my parents I wanted to be a doctor. If you want to put in the work, I'll be with you every step. You're smart and I know you can do it if you want to."

"Thanks, Dr. Sasha." Ellie said. "For everything."

Sasha saw that Ellie was still holding the medical bag. "If you want, just set it by the back door. If you come by early before I'm awake you can just come in and get it."

"If I don't see you tomorrow, I'll see you when we get back."

"You stay safe, Ellie."

* * *

The clear night sky over Jackson was filled with stars. Joel and Ellie were together on a blanket they spread out, watching the stars and occasional meteorite. They lay on their backs, holding hands.

"We must not be good at this settling down thing. I mean, we made it two whole weeks before going out again." Joel mused.

"It's too boring here." Ellie said, squeezing his hand. "Except when I'm doing stuff with you, even just looking at the mountains and the stars." She shifted over on her side so she could nestle next to Joel. "When I was over at Dr. Sasha's, I asked her if I could help her out all the times that I don't have a shift somewhere in town."

"I'm glad you like it there. She's a great doctor and she's lucky to have you there." Joel said.

"I also asked her if I could start doing things to learn how to be a doctor like her."

"That's wonderful," Joel said as he put his arm around her and held her close. "You sure were the best doctor I ever had. The folks here would be lucky to have you as a doctor, too." Joel paused for several seconds. "You know, you're going to have to tell Dr. Sasha about your immunity sometime."

"I know. I feel bad about keeping it a secret. Maybe I'll tell her when we get back. Will you be there with me when I tell her?"

"Of course." Joel said as he squeezed her hand.

"I mean, you said you told Tommy, I'm sure he's told Maria. It might not be a secret anymore."

"The thing is, too, is that they might not even care. I mean, I'm sure Dr. Sasha will, because she would probably love learning about what makes your immunity tick. But the others? They know you aren't going to bite them, and if you get hurt and bleed, you'll take care of that right away. At the very least, they know you've traveled a long way here and it wasn't easy - you still jumped right in and started doin' whatever was needed around here. You're a valuable asset to them now. Plus, they think you're pretty awesome. But not more than me." Joel said, reaching over and brushing a lock of hair out of her eyes. "Have I told you lately how much I love you?"

Ellie smiled and pressed close against him as they held each other and watched the stars. "Not as much as I love you," she whispered.

* * *

"Joel, hurry up! They're waiting for us!" Ellie said.

Joel came into the room, bent over to finish tying his boot. "Fine time for a lace to break," he muttered. "Just a sec." He finished up, grabbed his backpack and joined Ellie. Ellie paused right before they went out the door, went back to a window and took her knife off the sill and put it in her pocket. "You never know," she said to Joel.

"Yep." He said.

"Where's your knife?" she asked.

"In my pack."

"That's going to do you a lot of good you trying to find it when a runner is all up in your ass." Ellie said, shooting him a disapproving look

"Yes, ma'am." Joel said, pulling the hunting knife out of his pack and looping the sheath on his belt. "Better?"

"Now are you going to do what I say, when I say it?" Ellie said, sternly.

"Now where have I heard that before?" Joel asked.

Ellie giggled as they closed the door behind them and, after a brief stop and the clinic to pick up the first aid bag, went to meet Mike and Jim.

Miles and Kathryn were waiting, having herded up five horses in the paddock nearest them. Mike and Jim were just walking up, as were Tommy and Maria.

"I pulled your tack for you, right inside the barn. These five'll do you good."

There were three bays, a dappled grey and a pinto. The rescue party saddled and bridled the horses, and Mike and Jim secured the extra supplies to the pinto's saddle. The four mounted up. Tommy and Maria walked to Joel and Ellie.

"Joel -" Maria said, and paused. "Be careful."

He nodded. "Thanks."

"Ellie, you take care of my brother." Tommy said.

"I will."

They left Jackson, riding single file east, toward the prairie.


	3. Before Jackson, Part 1

October 2013: Eastern Idaho

Before the outbreak, Miles and Kathryn Kelowitz lived in rural eastern Idaho, and were next-door neighbors to Dalton and Abigail Ross. Although, where they lived, "next door" could mean houses a mile or so apart. Despite that, Miles and Kathryn were good friends with Dalton and Abigail, and their two little girls, Caroline, who was seven and Meaghan, who was five.

On this October morning, shortly after the outbreak began, the man in the military fatigues stood in the hallway of the Kelowitz home, holding a clipboard. "So there's just the two of you, then?" He asked.

"Yes. Just us." Kathryn answered, holding her husband.

"The transport will come by around three p.m. to take you to the quarantine zone in Salt Lake. You can take one small suitcase. If you have anything else, it'll get left behind. Clear?"

"What if we don't want to leave?" Kathryn asked. "We have food and supplies and - and what if we want to wait it out?

"Suit yourself. I can't make you go. If you change your mind and decide to come and the QZ is full - tough. We won't let you in. This will be your only chance."

"We'll stay here." Kathryn said, squeezing her husband.

"Okay, when the truck comes by, we'll honk the horn and wait one minute. If you don't come out, we'll leave. Look, I'm not supposed to say this, but things are worse than you've heard. You better have a lot of guns and a lot of ammunition. Things are going to go sideways real quick."

"We're still staying. We can take care of ourselves." Miles said.

"Well, best of luck to you," the soldier said, then took his clipboard and left.

Kathryn took out her phone and called their neighbor.

"Abby? Did the army guy come by?"

"Yeah. I'm scared. You know Meaghan; she always wants to see who's at the door. She and Caroline are hiding in their room. I was hoping once he left they'd calm down. But right now, they're both terrified." Her voice lowered to a whisper. "The last radio report I heard, the police quit answering calls, and the power went out about thirty minutes ago."

"Ours did, too. Abby, listen to me. We're going to be okay. This disease or whatever it is, it spreads faster than anything we've seen. What if it gets in the quarantine zone they're taking us? The best thing is to stay here. We can be safe. Caroline and Meaghan can be safe. We've both got food for a long time. We can wait it out, at least until the panic is over."

"You're right. I need to check on the girls."

"Okay. You call back for any reason. After the army truck comes by, I'll wait an hour or so. If things are calm then, Miles and I will come by. We'll stay the night, or you guys can come over here. It's going to be okay." Kathryn tried her use her best reassuring voice.

"'Bye." Abby said, then hung up. Kathryn turned to Miles, who had been listening to the radio.

"It's like something out of a horror movie," Miles said. "They say to not let anyone inside or go outside if somebody comes around. He said make sure they can talk. Apparently one of the first effects of this, whatever it is, is to take away people's ability to speak or think. They become incredibly violent, attacking and biting whoever they can catch."

"Can they be killed?" Kathryn asked.

"Yeah, just like any other person. Kill them at long range. If they bite you, they infect you so he says don't get up close to kill them."

"Miles, I'm scared." Kathryn said, wringing her hands.

Miles went and put his arm around his wife. "Me, too. It's only natural. We've got a basement full of food, water from the well, firewood and everything else to ride this out. Mormons look at us and say 'that's the way to prepare for disaster'." He faked a small smile and Kathryn faked one back.

"They'll figure out what it is - it may take a month or several, but they'll figure it out." Miles said, bringing Kathryn to the couch and sitting down. She put her head on his shoulder and tried to close her eyes. Fitful and nervous, she got up and paced.

"What's wrong?" Miles asked. "Did you change your mind? Do you want to go? We can, you know."

"I don't know. I just don't know. There's part of me that says, 'yes, let's go', but I can't help but thinking it's bad. What if we have to stay there a long time? What if the army can't control the people? I mean, he didn't say, but it sounds like martial law. I don't want that," she said, wringing her hands again.

Miles walked over and put a hand on her shoulder. "I'm with you. Whatever you want to do."

"What do you want to do?" She asked, turning toward him.

"I want to stay. Here, we know what we're dealing with. We have food, water, supplies. We can stay here, hell, for years if need be. I don't like the unknown. Here, we're in control."

Kathryn nodded, and then went out back to check on their horses. A near constant stream of vehicles was driving down Highway 20. Acting more to stave away the nervousness, she started rearranging the hay in the barn. Miles silently joined her a few minutes later. They worked in the barn for a long time without talking. Finally, Kathryn looked at Miles, and then gave him a hug. "Tell me again it's going to be okay."

Miles looked into his wife's blue eyes, eyes that had only gotten prettier in the twelve years he'd been married to her. "It's going to be okay. We'll be okay. The horses will be okay. The hay will last the winter; we'll cut more every year. Both gas tanks are full, that's two hundred gallons, so we can use the tractor. I won't lie to you and say I'm not scared. Dalton, Abigail, Caroline and Meaghan need us. They need to see that we can get through this."

Kathryn nodded. "You're right -" The rumble of a military truck cut her off, and the sound of a horn made her jump.

Miles looked and Kathryn and in the silent communication husbands and wives have, they both knew they had to stay. True to his word, a minute later, the military truck left. The house blocked the road, so they only caught a glimpse of it as it went down Highway 20, toward Idaho Falls.

They went back in the house. By then, the stream of cars lessened, and after ten minutes, only an occasional car passed by.

"Miles, I can't wait. Let's go see Dalton and Abby. Let them know everything's okay."

Miles nodded. "Good idea."

Kathryn took out her phone and started to dial. "No service. I guess the towers are out already. "

Miles took the keys to their SUV and he and Kathryn walked out to the garage. They drove the short distance between the houses, less than a mile, in silence. The Ross' house was quiet as they drove up. Kathryn was the first out and to the door. She knocked. "Abby! Dalton! We're here. We couldn't wait." Silence. Kathryn looked at Miles, and then knocked louder. "Abby! Are you okay?" She fairly shouted.

Miles went down the house, halfway between the door and the corner. He bent down and dug several inches down in the soft dirt. The spare key was there, wrapped in a plastic bag. He gave it to Kathryn, who unlocked the door. "We should have brought a gun." She whispered.

"You want to go back and get one?"

Kathryn shook her head. She slowly opened the door. The curtains were drawn and the house was dark. She listened. Nothing. "Abby! Dalton! Caroline! Meaghan! Anybody here?"

Miles walked through the foyer to the dining room. On the table was a piece of paper. It was a note.

"_Dear Kathryn and Miles: _

_We're sorry, we tried to call but the phones were out. We changed our mind and are going to Salt Lake with the army. We had to think of Caroline and Meaghan. I don't know what's going to happen, what the quarantine zone is going to be like, but they have to watch out for the children and keep them safe. There are sure to be other families with small children and they can be better taken care of there. What if they got sick and needed a doctor? I'm sorry, but this is best for our children. I hope you understand. Maybe this won't last long and we'll be back. You can have anything in our house, we have food and water and supplies and it's all yours. We love you, and thank you for everything. I hope more than anything else we can see you soon. Please forgive us._

_Love,_

_Dalton and Abby_

Kathryn and Miles read the note in silence, and then hugged. "I guess it's just us." Kathryn said, trying to hold back tears. "Please stay safe." She whispered, almost as a prayer.

After several minutes of silence, Miles guided his wife out of the front door, locked it, and drove back to their house. The next few days, both were in semi-catatonic states as they tried to silently comprehend the truth: this is the end of the world as they knew it. They hadn't seen a single car pass by in a very long time. Their only link to the outside world, the radio, continued to broadcast for three days after the military truck came by. The journalists reading the reports were uniformly robotic and devoid of emotion. They told the citizens to evacuate to quarantine zones if they could, and to stay in their houses if they couldn't. They warned the citizens against contacting anybody that came around and told everyone, in the same emotionless voice, to kill anyone who acted strangely. One reporter, on the second day, stated what everyone had been thinking. He said "I am not exaggerating in the least. Billions of people are dead. This may very well be the end of the human race. May God have mercy on us all."

The third day, reports became more infrequent, with long breaks in between. The last report, on the third day, said the United States no longer existed as a nation. The government is gone. Martial law is in effect each of the autonomous quarantine zones. The last words Miles and Kathryn heard from the radio were the reporter again urging citizens to go to a quarantine zone. After that, nothing. They kept the radio on for several more hours, and then finally turned it off.

"Miles," Kathryn said, "We're alive. We have each other. Even if this is not the world we know, I still have you. That's enough reason to live."

"I love you," he said, hugging her, "we will make it."

Over the next several weeks, Miles and Kathryn moved food, supplies and anything that could be of use from the Ross' house to theirs. In the months that followed, they would drive as far as they dared, using their limited gasoline supply, to scavenge nearby houses as well. The houses they scavenged were deserted, and they did not see any people as well. In fact, until they time they ended up living in Jackson, they would only see other humans a total of three times.

The first people they encountered were in early spring, months after the outbreak. A family, a husband and wife and their three children were in a car, traveling to Orem, Utah. The husband called himself a "man of God" and said he was leading his family to reestablish God's church in Orem. Five years later, two wandering bandits, armed with machetes, came to their house. Miles and Kathryn saw them while working in their garden. The bandits went to break in their back door, and Miles shot them dead.

After that incident, they would not see another person for seven more years. Miles and Kathryn managed well in this world, perhaps a statement to their fortitude and love for each other. They tended a garden every year that gave them just enough vegetables to supplement the canned goods that they rationed. The fuel was rationed as well, used only to cut hay for the horses so they could survive the winters.

Among the most clever ideas they had to survive was to live apart several times during the year. Miles and Kathryn would take turns packing up supplies and living in the Ross house for a week or so. The time apart, they were convinced, kept them from the mental unbalance that could beset persons living together, with no outside contact, for years at a time.

And so, the years passed. Winters came and went and Miles and Kathryn lived on.

One early summer day, twelve years after the outbreak, they had just finished moving the first cutting and baling of hay into the barn. Unspoken between them was the fact that they had enough fuel left for maybe one more cutting. Whether this cutting, plus the next would be enough for the horses for the winter was something they tried not to think about. As both were walking back to the house from the barn, they saw two figures walking on the highway, coming from the direction of Idaho Falls.

Miles and Kathryn froze, realizing they had probably been seen. The figures didn't look to be armed, and, as they got closer, looked to be two young women. Kathryn was in front of Miles as they went to the road. She shielded her eyes, looked closely at the travelers, then gasped.

"Oh God, oh my God!" She said as she broke out into a run toward them. The girls started running, too, their backpacks bouncing.

Miles opened his mouth wide in amazement, and then broke into a run, too. Kathryn had reached them, and the three hugged. Miles got there a second later, and wrapped his arms around Caroline and Meaghan Ross, dirty and exhausted, but likely the most beautiful things Kathryn and Miles had ever seen.

They hugged in silence for a minute, before Kathryn and Miles stepped back.

"Are you okay?" Kathryn asked. "Are you hurt?"

The girls broke out in smiles, relief on their faces. "We're fine." Caroline said. "I can't believe we made it."

"Your parents? Dalton - Abby?" Kathryn asked, her face tensing up.

"It was horrible." Caroline said. Her eyes watered, and Kathryn hugged her. "Two months ago, the infected got in. Mom and Dad took us and ran. We found a hole in the fence and they put us through. Before they could get through, too, the infected grabbed them. The army shot everybody - the infected, Mom, Dad -"Caroline buried her head in Kathryn's shoulder. Miles hugged Meaghan and held her close. "We ran." Caroline continued. "This was the only place we could think of to go."

"You two are a miracle." Miles said. "This is your home. We're your family now."

The girls, still clutching to Miles and Kathryn, smiled.

"Let's get you inside - get you some food." Kathryn said.

The four went inside. They guided the girls to a mattress in front of the fireplace. "You must be exhausted." Kathryn said. The girls sat on the edge of the mattress. "It's okay. Lay down if you want, unless you'd rather eat first."

"I'm so tired." Meaghan said.

The girls slowly lay down and stretched out. Kathryn put a pillow under each of their heads and covered them with a light blanket. Within a minute, both were fast asleep.

The girls slept through the rest of the day and until morning. Miles pulled another mattress in the room and he and Kathryn slept on it, so as to not leave the girls alone. Saddened thought they were by the loss of their friends, the fact that their two girls were alive and well brought smiles to their faces as they slept.

The next morning, the girls ravenously ate the beef stew and vegetables.

"I kept hoping somehow we'd get some chickens so we'd have eggs." Miles said. "Doesn't seem like a proper breakfast without."

"This is wonderful," Caroline said with her mouth full. "Some houses we found had food, some didn't"

"Did you run into any trouble?" Kathryn asked.

"No, we stayed hidden as much as we could. We went around Pocatello and Idaho Falls and tried to not go through them. That was what they told us at the QZ. One smart thing they did do was to tell us what to do if we ever had to leave. They said to avoid the populated areas and if you weren't well-armed, to avoid contacting anybody. They said to stay off the main interstates and main roads, too."

Miles spoke. "You went backcountry so as to avoid 15?"

"Not really. We stayed way back from it and tried to use cover. I guess the bandits or whoever heard about the QZ being abandoned, because we saw a few cars going that way. They looked like real nasty people so we stayed hidden. We went slowly, too. "

"That's smart." Miles said.

"We knew where we were going, so we just took our time," Meaghan said.

They finished breakfast and Miles went to bury the garbage and wash the dishes they'd used. The girls sat on the couch, just taking in the fact they were finally safe.

Kathryn spoke. "If you're up to it, we can get you hot water - get you cleaned up."

"That sounds great," Meaghan said. "We didn't bring much in the way of clothes."

"I brought over some of your mother's - I think it'll fit you well enough. You're welcome to mine, too. We brought what we thought we could use, but a lot of things are still there. If you want, we can go back to your house after a while."

Miles was listening from the doorway. "I started the fire under the cistern. It should be ready in a little bit. I managed to rig up a pipe from the cistern to the bathtub. It works pretty well."

The girls cleaned up and found some clean clothes to wear. Miles and Kathryn took their dirty clothes out to soak, then went back into the house, where the girls were sitting on the couch.

"We haven't heard anything about how things are for a very long time," Kathryn said. "They haven't found a cure for whatever it is?"

"No cure. We learned some of this in school and hear stuff from people, mostly soldiers, that come and go." Caroline said. "What they do know is that it is a fungus. You get infected by breathing in spores or if someone who is infected bites you. They can test to see if you're infected. If you are, they shoot you. Dead. No treatment, nothing. Once you're infected, within a day you lose your mind and turn violent - attacking anybody. They call these people runners. After you've been infected a while, the fungus starts to grow out of your head. These are stalkers. Finally, the fungus grows over a person's whole head, out of their eyes, so they're blind, but they can hear real well. They are called clickers."

"Clickers?" Miles asked.

"Clickers." Caroline replied. "They make clicking sounds like bats to find people and things. They're real hard to kill, too. The runners and stalkers, not so much."

"That's horrible." Kathryn said. "After all these years and still no cure."

"They said all of the main places, hospitals, CDC, universities, got overrun after it started. The doctors in the Salt Lake QZ were doing what they could, but we don't really know what else is going on out there." Meaghan said.

"So the QZ in Salt Lake is gone? Where did everybody go?" Kathryn asked.

"Don't know. Once it was overrun, it was crazy. Before it was overrun, I heard some soldiers say there were QZs in Portland and Seattle and that they were doing a lot better than us." Meaghan said. "One thing the army did do was teach us to take care of ourselves. The kids there, we were 'junior solders' of sorts. The real soldiers taught us how to fight, how to use a gun and knife. We got pretty good."

"I bet," Miles said. "It takes something to make it from Salt Lake to here, not the easiest travelin' by far, but you did. I have no doubt you both can take care of yourselves."

"You two have done pretty well, too." Caroline said.

"We've been fortunate." Kathryn said. "Your parents had food and supplies - they left a note and said we could use what was in your house. Until we got low on gas we went around and got what we could from other houses. Some winters were pretty tough but we managed."

"Have you seen anyone else? " Meaghan asked.

Miles shook his head. "Not in a while. After the first winter, a crazy preacher passed through, and then years later some criminal types came by, but nothing since."

"Did they rob you?"

"Didn't have the chance. They're dead."

"We had some of those types too. They'd sneak in the QZ and steal food. If you were out after curfew or in places where you weren't supposed to be, you'd get shot and killed. We grew up -"Meaghan said, haltingly,"watching people die every day. After a while you just don't think about it anymore."

They sat in silence for a long time. _What kind of world is this, _Miles thought, _when even a seventeen year old girl loses part of her humanity. We do what we have to do to live. We're not cavemen, but we're closer than we think. _

Meaghan broke the silence. "Do you still have horses?" She asked.

"We've got six. Rico did his job and we had foals every other year or every three. We lost some - they got sick or just died of the cold. Rico died three years ago and we haven't had any since. There's two stallions in the six we haven't had any foals in three years."

"Can we see them?" Caroline asked.

Miles and Kathryn took the girls out back. They petted and fed the horses grass, and, after a bit, saddled two up and went riding.

After they left, Kathryn said bluntly, "We don't have enough food for the winter. We're going to have to leave and find someplace better. Someplace with more game so we can hunt. Someplace where more people lived so there is more food to find."

"I know." Miles said. "The garden has gotten worse every year. We're not farmers, Kathryn. I don't know if there is something we can do to make it better. We've scavenged everywhere close. We are going to have to leave - before all of the food is gone so we can take some with is to get wherever it is we're going."

"How can we tell them?" Kathryn said. "They just got here."

"I don't know." Miles said, 'but we have to."

Later that evening, as the four were sitting in the living room, Caroline spoke.

"Meaghan and I have been talking. When you weren't looking, I sneaked down to look in the basement. You aren't going to have enough food with us around. Meaghan and I decided to leave in a few days."

"Absolutely not!" Kathryn said. "That will not happen. We've talked about this, Miles and me. We were going to tell you, after giving you a few more days to rest. We know there isn't going to be enough food for the winter. That's why, before the food runs out and winter comes, we are going to leave. All of us."

"But, K-"

"Not another word, Caroline. You did amazing to get here, on foot with no guns. When your parents left with you, that was devastating. For years we wondered if you were even alive. We're not going to let you go by yourself again."

Caroline and Meaghan piled on top of Miles and Kathryn in a hug. "Thank you," Meaghan said. "We didn't really want to go by ourselves."

After they sat back down, Caroline asked the obvious question. "Where would we go?"

Miles paused. "Well, we can go for a quarantine zone. You said the soldiers said Portland and Seattle were still safe. Would they stay safe? There's the fact that they are pretty far away - at least a couple of months. Or, we can find someplace else, closer. Idaho Falls and Pocatello are bigger cities and probably not safe." Miles paused. "Kathryn and I have already talked about this. We were thinking about Jackson. It had several thousand people during the summer, so there a lot of houses there - lot of people may have left food. There's more game there. Elk and bison, at least. Here, there wasn't much at all. Finally, it's inhospitable. If there are other bandits and bad people about, they are probably looking for warmer weather." Miles took Kathryn's hand and held it in both his. "We've lived this far. We can't give up now."

Caroline and Meaghan nodded. "Jackson, it is." Caroline said.

The next few weeks were busy. They sorted and packed the remaining food so it could be carried on horses. They cleaned their guns and sharpened their knives. They picked out the best, warmest and sturdiest clothes to take with them.

As the days passed, and the four were packed and prepared as they would ever be, Miles and Kathryn leaned against a wall, held each other and looked at their house. This was the place that kept them safe, kept them alive all of these years. _Was it right to leave, _they both thought. Still, the undeniable fact that there simply was not enough food to take them through the winter told them this was the right decision.

The night before they were to leave, they were sitting in the living room. Caroline spoke up. "I can't be the only one that thought of this. What if when we get there, people are there? What if there are infected?"

"The way I see it," Kathryn said, "we'll get there early enough before the winter to figure things out. If it is a community, maybe we can join. If there are infected or bandits, and there are too many to get rid of, we'll go on. If Jackson won't work, maybe we can find some place in Montana. We'll just have to see."

The four slept a restless sleep that night, on the mattresses by the fireplace.


	4. High Plains Drifters

The true prairie grassland started at the eastern base of the Teton foothills. Four riders and five horses made their way carefully down the slopes until the terrain evened out. It was the beginning of the great plains, a high plateau of grassland across a third of what once was the United States.

Mike and Jim led the way. On their way west to Jackson, they had come more or less this direction. Joel and Ellie had been further south, traveling southern Wyoming before veering northwest to Jackson. Ellie was riding Cinder, the gray horse, and Joel, Mike and Jim were on Abby, Dalton and Sugar. Patch was the pinto that carried most of their supplies. Her lead was tied to Jim's saddle.

These were spirited horses, and Mike allowed them to set a quick pace. Even so, they realized this was a long journey and they kept the horses from going too fast. The heaviest part of the load were the water bags. Jim carried detailed maps of Wyoming and Nebraska, and navigated the trip such that they would get to water every third day or so. The water bags would last a week if pressed, but none wanted to press their luck on this important mission.

"So how did you get to know Bill?" Jim asked, riding next to Joel and Ellie.

"He was holed up in an abandoned town called Lincoln, outside of the QZ in Boston. We ran into him on one of our supply runs a few years ago. He'd trade with us, whatever we needed back and forth. Food, medicine, ammunition,-"

"Magazines." Ellie interjected.

That made Joel smile. "He hung onto those. When we left the QZ, we went there, hoping he could get us transportation. We ended up getting a truck and that was the last we saw or heard of him, until we ran into Jed and Beth. He wasn't the most social of types, so I wonder what happened that made him leave to travel to us."

"He could have gotten overrun, or maybe he got tired of living by himself." Mike said.

"But why come to us?" Joel asked. "We were on friendly terms, at least I was, but not what you'd call 'pals'."

"You didn't like him, Ellie?" Jim asked.

"I wouldn't say I hated him," Ellie said. "He got on my nerves. We didn't get off to a good start."

"What happened?" Jim asked.

"Nothing. He just handcuffed me to a pipe." Ellie said.

"No shit."

"Yeah, but then I ripped it off the wall and beat him with it. I think he respected me after that."

"Damn! Remind me never to piss you off." Jim said.

"You don't think he's just using us to bust him out of this church where he's trapped? I mean, we get him out and he runs off. This trip's for nothing." Mike said.

"Bill's smart, but he's as plain as they come. He speaks his mind and he's never been one to lie to me or be deceitful. That town he was living in was slowly getting overrun and even with his traps and wily ways, he was fighting a losing battle. When people get lost or confused, they tend to go back to things that are familiar. I guess that would be me. Me and Tess were the only ones that dealt with him and with Tess gone, I'm his only connection left. But, if things do go south and he doesn't want to play nice, I say we tie him to a horse and bring him back to Jackson, whether he wants to or not. Once we're there, given the choice of surviving the wilderness by himself or cooperating, I'd bet he'd come around. "

"Ellie, I have a feeling you can read people pretty good." Mike said. "What do you think about Bill?"

"He's a dick and a pain in the ass. Like Joel said, though, he's up front and tells the truth. My feeling is he wants to get to us pretty bad. I don't think he'll run. He seemed happiest when he was tinkering with things or making things. He thinks he can do that in Jackson, he'll come along. But I'm with Joel. If he doesn't want to cooperate, let's haul his ass there."

Mike nodded and turned back to the trail. The five horses dotted the prairie as they made their way east.

* * *

Jim dismounted his horse and held the compass to his eye, pointing east toward the horizon. They had stopped briefly at the high point of the sun to give the horses a little rest and water and get lunch. This was midday of the fourth day of riding, and it had been a day and a half since they'd last been able to get water. Jim was using the map and compass to find the most direct route to the next oasis, and eventually, Omaha.

Mike, Joel and Ellie dismounted as well and went off in different directions, looking for a private place to relieve themselves behind the rolling hills. They hadn't seen trees since late in the first day, so they had to use whatever cover they could find.

Jim closed his compass as the other three gathered around Patch. Joel and Ellie each took a collapsible pail, filled it from the water bags, and took them to the horses for a drink. Mike and Jim refilled everyone's canteens and brought out canned beans, tortillas and jerky for lunch.

Gesturing with his spoon, Jim said, "Looks like we'll get to water tonight. A place called Seminoe Reservoir."

"Don't remember that when we came out here," Mike said. "I think we were a little north of here, though."

"You didn't follow the road?" Joel asked.

Jim shook his head. "We'd already decided to go to the Teton valley - see what was there. Figured less of a chance of running into someone if we went off-road. Kinda like we're doing here."

"You guys picked a good place to stay." Ellie said. "Feels like home."

"That it does," Joel said, locking eyes with Ellie for a gentle moment.

"Did Tommy tell you about us first getting there - to Jackson?" Jim asked.

"A little bit." Joel said. "He said that Miles, Kathryn, Caroline and Meaghan were already there."

Jim nodded. "Things turned out pretty good, what with picking up Dr. Sasha and Adam on the trip and finding those guys already there."

"Good neither of you thought the other were bandits and started shooting." Ellie said.

"They were smart. They saw us coming and hid, except for Caroline. They thought, rightly so, that if we were bandits, we'd see this girl by herself and, let's just say bandits wouldn't have minded their manners." Mike said.

"That was a big risk, I mean to Caroline, if you guys were bandits."

"She had a gun tucked away, and the other three posted themselves where they could drop all of us in ten seconds if it was bandits. Instead, we let Maria and Sasha do the talkin' and we hit it off pretty good."

"I'll say." Joel said. "Just glad you let us fit in."

"Well, Ellie was a no-brainer. She's tough and smart." Jim said. "You," pointing his spoon at Joel, "it took a little convincing for us to let you stay." Jim tried to hold character but couldn't keep from smiling.

Ellie elbowed Joel in his side. She had no trouble playing along. "See - I told you not to be so grumpy."

"I'm not grumpy. I'm happy as a dog with a steak bone," he said, looking at Ellie. _You don't know how happy I am, _hoping she could read his thoughts.

"Well, you have gotten better," she said, allowing herself a smile.

The four finished up lunch and buried the empty cans and other trash. They checked their saddles and mounted up. Mike made sure Patch's lead was secured to his saddle while Jim took out his compass to double-check their heading.

"Okay," he said, pointing east. "You see that sharp "v" on the horizon? That's our first waypoint." Jim took the reins and started walking Sugar in that direction, followed by the rest.

"Why is it called a 'waypoint'?" Ellie asked.

"Because it's way out there where I'm pointing." Jim said.

"If I had something I'd throw it at you," Ellie said. "That sounds like one of my jokes."

Joel tried to stifle a laugh and couldn't. "What are you laughing at?" Ellie said, narrowing her eyes at him as she stopped Cinder.

Just to be safe, Joel took Abby on a wide berth around Ellie so as to be out of range. Mike and Jim were about twenty yards ahead. Joel saw Ellie out of the corner of his eye. Before he could react, she pulled next to him, stood up in the saddle, leaned over and smacked a kiss on his lips.

"Ellie!" he mouthed silently and pointed toward Mike and Jim. She flashed an expression that said "oops" and smiled impishly. A small silly grin broke out on Joel's face as Ellie went back to riding and posted herself halfway between Joel and Mike.

Late that day, after a few minor course adjustments, they reached the lake the map promised would be there. A rusted, iron fence came into view between them and the lake, and they could see a large ranch house. They stopped where the fence made a corner, dismounted, and moved where the taller grasses were in between them and the house.

"Wait here with the horses." Joel said. "Me and Ellie will check it out."

They crept along the fence line, hidden in the tall grass, until they came to a large gate. At one time, it was an automatic gate, opened and closed remotely or by a keypad. Whatever lock mechanism it once had was rusted away. Joel and Ellie paused by the gate and scanned between the gate and the house, about thirty yards away.

"See anything?" Joel whispered.

Ellie shook her head.

He took the gate and slowly opened it enough for both to get through. The tall prairie grass had overtaken whatever lawn there once was. They got down low enough so as to be hidden and slowly made their way toward the house.

They paused at the porch, and Joel whispered, "Let's just look in the windows and not go in. I think it's safer if we clear the house with four - just in case."

Ellie nodded and pointed to the right, then pointed from her eyes to the house. Joel gave her a thumbs-up and went left. They made their way around the house, checking the rooms through the windows. Joel saw no evidence anyone had lived there in a very long time. Ellie, the same. They met in the back of the house, under a large covered patio. Ellie said softly, "I didn't see anything. It didn't even look like the dust had been moved in a long time."

"Same here," Joel said. "Let's go back and get Mike and Jim."

They made their way back to the gate and opened it enough so that horses could get through.

Approaching Mike and Jim, Joel said, "We didn't see anything. Inside, it looked like the dust hadn't been disturbed in a while. I didn't want to clear the inside without you guys. I figured having four is better just in case the owner set up booby traps or something."

"Good thinking," Mike said. "I didn't think about someone rigging something up. We'll go slow and be careful."

They led the horses through the gate and to the back, where there was a large place for them to graze.

"If the house checks out, why not stay here for the night?" Ellie asked.

"Got my vote," Jim said.

They took the pack off Patch and unsaddled and unbridled the horses and tethered them out in the grass with halters and long leads.

The sliding door to the patio was locked. "I don't want to break the glass." Mike said. Meanwhile, Ellie was examining the window to the left.

"Hey, I think this glass is loose. If we can pop it I can crawl through and open the door." She took her knife and started prying the dry putty out. Soon, enough was removed that she and Jim were able to pull the intact pane out. Ellie shined her flashlight through the opening, looking for any wires or any signs of traps. Finding none, she crawled through the gap where the pane was, and in a few seconds, opened the sliding door. "Ta da!" she said.

"May we come in?" Joel asked.

"Only if you wipe your feet first," she said, smirking.

The other three cautiously went in the kitchen area. Mike and Jim took the part of the house to the right while Joel and Ellie cleared the left. They slowly made their way through the house, pausing at each doorway and corner to look for any dangers.

The right part of the house had a large den, a pantry, a bathroom and three bedrooms. The other half had the living room, a master bedroom and bath, and a large room with what looked like a drafting desk.

They met back in the kitchen area. "Anything?" Jim asked.

Joel shook his head. "A few clothes, mostly tattered. Computers, monitors accessories - no food or any tools we could use. You?"

"Pretty much the same. Some clothes, in bad shape, the pantry had some condiments and cleaning supplies - no food either."

Ellie, standing near the hall, walked to the bathroom on the right.

"I already cleared that bathroom, Ellie." Jim said.

"I need to check in there," she replied.

"What for?" Jim asked.

Ellie's eyes shot daggers at Jim that Joel swore left a visible stab wound.

"Oh." Jim said in a very small voice. He sidled next to Joel. "Girl stuff, right?" he whispered. Joel nodded his head.

"Don't worry, Jim. When we first started traveling, I was clueless and asked her the same thing. Her eyes shot me with the daggers, too." Joel said quietly. "I learned to let her explore the house, too, even if I cleared it. She might find something we missed."

Ellie came back into the kitchen just as the others finished looking in the cabinets. Jim tried to look at sheepish as possible as Ellie passed by him. She saw his hangdog expression and the corners of her mouth turned up in a small smile. His small faux pas was forgiven.

"Nothing in here, I'm guessing." Ellie said.

Mike shook his head. "It's clean, too."

The light was quickly fading as the sun went down.

"Let's sleep out on the patio, in the fresh air," Ellie suggested. "It's smells kind of musty in here."

They unpacked their bedrolls under the covered patio. Joel and Ellie overlapped theirs, while Mike and Jim did the same. The evenings were cool enough for a light cover, but not so cool that the needed a fire. They didn't build any fires, anyway, lest they give their presence away to others.

Ellie went out to give some attention to the horses and give them some of the treats she brought. Jim double-checked his map with a flashlight, then, satisfied with what he'd seen, turned it off.

"Anything interesting the direction we're going?" Joel asked.

He shook his head. "We should be halfway there in two or three days' time. The nearest settlements are Casper and Scottsbluff." Ellie had come back and sat down on the bedroll next to Joel. "Casper is fairly close by, northwest of here. No need to check it out though, unless you just want to see the sights. We passed through it on our way here and pretty much picked it clean. We were running short on food and spent a few days going through all the houses we could."

"Were there any infected or people?" Ellie asked.

"No people, just clickers and bloaters."

"Bloaters? Shit." Ellie said.

"No kidding. We didn't want to waste any ammunition on them so we laid a firetrap for them, herded them in pretty close together, then burn, baby burn. The clickers that were left heard the noise and walked right into the fire. Dumbasses."

"Yeah." Ellie said. "We've had them do that, too. Throw a brick or bottle in the middle of the fire and they just go burn themselves up."

"Don't know about Scottsbluff. We passed by north of it and didn't take the time to see if there was anything worth looking for. They way we're going, we'll pass by pretty close. I guess we can play it by ear whether we stay and see what's there or give it a berth."

They sat in silence for several minutes. Mike glanced at Jim, then spoke up.

"You know, Joel - Ellie, that you don't have to go sneaking around, giving Joel a kiss on his horse when you think we aren't lookin'. We know something's up with you two, and I don't want you to think you got to be secretive around us."

"So you knew?" Ellie asked.

"Well, it wasn't hard to figure out. You're talking to two gay guys here, remember? Most stereotypes aren't true, but the one about us being able to tell things about people and relationships? Totally right on."

Ellie leaned her head against Joel and he put his arm around her. "Now I don't have to worry about you fallin' off your horse." Joel said.

"Who says I'm going to stop doing that?" Ellie said, looking up at him.

Joel gave her a squeeze and looked at Mike and Jim. "I guess we figured we didn't want to be too open about it, just in case you two -" his voice trailed off.

"Didn't approve?" Mike said. "I'm a romantic at heart. Jim, too. We've seen enough bad in this world to last twenty lifetimes. You, too, Joel. Probably you, Ellie as well. I see you two together, and figure out pretty quick that you're in love. I see that, see how you two care for each other, it takes me to a nice place in this world we have to live in. I remember, before this, there used to be movies and books before this happened, people trying to imagine like what it would be like, after an apocalypse. "

Ellie nodded. "I've read The Stand and I am Legend. It's nothing like this."

Mike agreed. "You can't put pen to paper or have actors act just how a person feels when it actually happens. The fact that after all this, us, I mean people - humans - still love, still can love. That is what gives me hope that someday things'll be like it was before. And when I see you two, together, it's just a nice thing in the middle of this world. I don't know how long you've been together, but what I see is something wonderful. I get the feeling that you two have a bond that's stronger than anything on this earth, or off it for that matter. Joel, you'd move heaven and earth for Ellie, and Ellie, you'd do the same. That's not something for me or Jim or anyone else to approve or not. There's not a collective 'society'" Mike said, using air quotes on the word 'society', "to pass judgment. The way I think, and the way most people who are good and decent think, if two people are of an age that they are independent, level-headed and know what they're doing, all that matters is how they feel about each other."

Ellie spoke. "Joel told me about how it was before, how whoever made the laws thought they had to decide for people they thought weren't old enough to make their own decisions."

Jim nodded. "There was this idea that someone older would take advantage of and hold some kind of sway over people that they thought weren't old enough. That they'd use this influence or coercion to make someone younger be with someone they really didn't want to, or do stuff they didn't really want to."

"Like I'm not smart enough to make my own decisions. It's my life." Ellie said.

"Before this, the world didn't think so." Mike said.

"Well, fuck that world." Ellie said. "Before I met Joel, everyone that I was close to either died or left me. Joel didn't leave me. He stayed with me. I know what I'm doing. Anyone that knows me knows that I can decide for myself. For somebody I don't even know to tell me that I can't be in love with Joel and stay with him? That's screwed up."

Joel said, "Back to what you were saying, Mike, about you seeing two people together, in love, being special and giving this world hope. For a long time, I was in that other part. Someone outside of this world, if they looked at me and how I was living, they'd say 'there's no hope for this world'. Hell, even I knew that there wasn't any hope for me. I was just living day to day. And I was this close," holding his fingers about an inch apart, "to staying there forever - not ever giving a damn about a person again, much less remembering what it was like to love somebody." Joel paused, and looked down at the auburn head resting on his shoulder, and said softly, "If I hadn't met Ellie - "

"But you did," Ellie said, hugging him.

"You gave me my life back." He said, hugging her back. "More ways than one."

Mike folded up the blanket he used as a pillow. He leaned on his elbow and looked at Joel and Ellie. "Now just 'cause I said we know what's going on doesn't mean you can make all kinds of noise and keep us up."

"I think we're too tired," Ellie said through a monster yawn. She and Joel untwined and nestled together on the bedroll. The soft sound of the wind blowing through the prairie grass was the last thing they heard before they fell asleep in each other's arms.


	5. Wrongs Darker Than Death or Night

"Just our luck." Mike grumbled. They had reached Scottsbluff the afternoon of the third day after stopping at the ranch house. All of the bridges over the South Platte River were out except for the Highway 71 bridge. A small camp of people was squatted on the bank next to the bridge around a fire.

They had dismounted and left the horses some ways back and silently made their way close. Trees provided cover, having thankfully appeared after days of traveling on the prairie. The bridges north of the city along the river had all washed out or were perilously close to collapse. The river's current, fueled by the recent snowmelt, was too swift and turbulent to risk crossing on horseback. That left the bridges. The only safe one standing, the largest and most stable, was guarded.

"Maybe they've just claimed it and we can pay them to let us cross." Jim whispered.

Meanwhile, Mike had been carefully scanning the camp with binoculars. As he looked, Joel noticed his face lost all color and the binoculars started to quiver.

"What did you see?" Joel asked.

Mike handed the binoculars to him. "I don't think they want payment. At least the kind we can give 'em. It's not going to end pretty."

Joel looked through the binoculars at the camp. Several unkempt men sat in a circle around the fire, cooking something on two large sticks. It was a person's arm and shoulder and the better part of a person's leg. Joel suppressed a gag and dropped to his knees, handing the binoculars back to Mike. Ellie immediately knelt beside him.

"Joel - are you okay. What was it?" She asked. "Let me see -" holding her hand out to Mike.

"Ellie -" Joel said, "you don't want to. They're like the people in the camp in Colorado."

"Oh," she said, all the color leaving her face as well.

Joel swallowed several times and Ellie helped him stand up.

"We're not going to reason with them," Jim said. "We've run into these kinds of people, too."

They made their way back to the horses. Jim took out the map and scanned it carefully. "There's another bridge about ten miles further south, Highway 79. It looks like a smaller, less used highway. I'd bet that bridge is either gone or too unstable to cross, just like the other ones upstream. About ten more miles south, there's the Highway 26 bridge. It looks like that's a larger highway and bridge, so it might be in better shape. If it's not, though, then we've wasted a day's ride coming back here."

"Could we follow the river further? Would that take us east?" Mike asked.

Jim unfolded the map a little more. "Yeah, if we follow the river all the way, that will take us to Omaha. The problem is that it dips further south than we wanted to travel." Jim looked at the map and measured some distances with his fingers. "If we follow the river all the way to Omaha, it'll add about three days' travel. If we cross way south of here, and then go straight to Omaha, that will still add about two and half days."

"Then again, we don't know what's further south. There might be more camps like this one, or those bridges might be out, too. The current will only be worse downstream and I think we all agree that it's too risky to cross the river with the horses and the load they are carrying." Joel said.

"My vote is to take them out and cross the bridge here." Mike said. "I saw what they were doing, how they were living. They aren't human anymore. They're animals."

Joel nodded his head in agreement.

"Me, too." Jim said. "This the best way. Ellie - you've got a vote, too. What do you think?"

She paused for about a minute, thinking, looking off in the distance, then at Joel. She nodded her head, too. "Yeah." She said. "Let's do this."

"Okay," Mike said. "I counted nine. I didn't see any guns, but that doesn't mean they don't have them. I'd like to save ammunition if we can. If they stay around the fire, two nail bombs should take most of them out." The other three nodded.

Mike took two nail bombs and handed them to Jim and Joel. "We'll hit them from opposite sides. Jim, you go to the left, close to the river, and Joel, you post on the other side of the fire. Ellie and I will be between you two and the horses. Once we're in place, I'll whistle and you guys throw. After they go off, stay low and see who's left. I'll whistle again when we move up."

Ellie took her bow off Cinder, along with the quiver. "I'll get further behind you and watch your backs just in case there are some we missed."

"Good idea," Mike said.

The four crept back to the cannibals' camp, using trees as cover. They split up in a semicircle around the camp, with Joel and Jim at each end. As Joel got closer, he saw the nine cannibals around the fire. He scanned the area carefully, but didn't see anybody else. When he got within twenty yards, he stopped and waited.

Ellie hid in some brush at the base of a tree. Mike was directly in front of her, about ten yards away. Joel was to her right and Jim was on her left. She was having trouble keeping calm. This was her first fight since the camp in Colorado.

"Ellie, just take it easy, " she whispered to herself. It would never be possible to forget what happened at the camp. These were the same kind of people. _No, they are not people. They are animals. Just like before_. _They got what they deserved and these animals deserve the same thing. Besides, I'm not by myself. I have a job. Protect them. Watch their back._

She fitted an arrow in the bowstring and made sure she could get a proper draw from where she was. Finally, she seemed to get her breathing under control. From her position, she could not only see Joel, Mike and Jim, but also avenues of approach where someone might circle around.

Mike's whistle pierced the air. The cannibals around the campfire looked up as Joel pulled the grenade pin and launched his bomb. It flew through the air and landed at the feet of three of them. He saw dust stir up twenty feet away as Jim's bomb landed among the cannibals on the other side of the fire.

The bombs exploded a second apart, and bodies flew as the shrapnel tore into the cannibals. The ones closer to the fire were set aflame by the blast of the bombs blowing the fire on them. The fortunate ones died quickly; the others, deserving of their suffering, convulsed as the shrapnel caused them to bleed to death.

After a minute, Mike whistled again. Joel unsheathed his knife and crept close to where the camp had been. As he reached the bodies, two looked like they were still alive. Joel quickly cut their throats, severing the carotid artery. They died seconds later. Mike and Jim approached from the other side, and Joel watched them finish off some other cannibals as well.

Ellie, perfectly still and camouflaged, saw movement out of the corner of her eye to her right. It was another cannibal. He was holding a machete as he used the brush as cover to get behind Joel. Ellie's heart started racing as she realized Joel hadn't seen him. The cannibal was advancing toward Joel, perhaps twenty yards away from her and about ten yards from Joel, whose back was still turned. Ellie focused, calmly raising the bow to her eye and drew back the arrow. She took aim between his shoulder blades and let the arrow fly.

Joel heard the crack of a twig and whirled around. Mike, further away, heard the sound and turned as well. Just as they both saw the cannibal, Joel pulled his revolver from his holster and started to take aim. As he was bringing up the revolver, they both heard the singing of an arrow in flight and the sick-sounding THWACK as the hunting arrow struck home. The cannibal fell forward, dead, Ellie's arrow in the middle of his back.

Joel paused, then saw Mike and Jim circling around, clearing the area behind them. Joel, gun still drawn, searched in the direction of the river and bridge in case any had posted themselves there. He didn't see anything.

Mike and Jim finished examining the area, and Mike beckoned the others to come over. Ellie came out of her cover and retrieved her arrow on the way to Mike. She came up beside Joel, her heart still beating fast at the encounter. Joel put his arm around her.

"Thank you," Joel told Ellie softly. She put her hand on his arm.

"Let's get the horses and get out of here," Mike said.

The others understood, not wanted any more to do with these creatures that were no longer human, not even to scavenge what little supplies they might have. They walked in silence back to the horses, mounted up and crossed the bridge.

There was still several hours of daylight left, and Mike kept a fast pace, so as to put as far a distance between themselves and what they had seen at Scottsbluff. They rode in silence, hoping the miles would wash the memory of what they had seen and what they had to do.

As the sun started to go down, Mike reined in Dalton to a slow walk.

"This look okay?" he asked back.

The rest nodded. They dismounted and made camp in the open prairie, under the full moon. The four were silent as they ate and cleaned up. Sitting in a circle, after a long time, Jim spoke. "Tell me it isn't always going to be like this. I know they lost any claim they had to being human a long time ago, but still-"

"They made their decision," Mike said. "If they saw us first, they would have attacked us. We might have lost someone, maybe all of us would have been killed."

"I know," Jim said.

Ellie spoke up. "Joel told me something when we first started traveling. He said 'things happen then you move on'. Sometimes moving on is easy. Sometimes it's hard. It's something you have to do, though."

Mike looked at Joel and Ellie. "I've never told anyone this, except for Jim. I got out of the army two years before the outbreak. I'd already graduated college before I went in and got a fast track teaching certificate because I was a veteran. I was teaching at a high school in Indianapolis. When the outbreak hit, I was involuntarily recalled - drafted back in. Those first few weeks were chaos like I'd never seen before. Our superiors told us to shoot anyone showing signs of infection. I was with other soldiers - no, I won't call them soldiers. A soldier has a code of honor. These people had already lost that. The other people I was with took to shooting anyone that wasn't already in custody and on an army transport going to a QZ. People walking the street, people confused, even if they asked for help, they were shot. I watched them kill people. I didn't do anything to stop it."

Mike looked down. Jim put a hand on his knee and an arm around his shoulder and held him.

Mike continued. "A week after the outbreak, there were five of us patrolling downtown Indianapolis, outside of the QZ. A young couple had been hiding in a building. As we passed, they saw us and thought they were safe. They came out and asked if we would take them to the QZ. My squad leader didn't even answer. He aimed his rifle, and the others aimed their rifles, and murdered them. Murdered them both." Mike's voice was shaking. "They were about my age. I don't know how long they'd been hiding from the infected, but they survived. They thought they were safe. I didn't see who fired, but I looked at the other four, and raised my rifle and shot them all. Dead. I went back to our vehicle and drove to Columbus. After I got there, I ditched my uniform and abandoned the jeep. They were still taking in refugees, and I was able to get in the QZ. I told them I was a teacher and never was in the military, so they put me in the makeshift school they were putting together. That was where I met Jim." He paused for a long time. "You move on, but you never forget. It lessens, but never goes away."

They sat in silence for a long time. Finally, Mike got up and went to Patch. He pulled a small bag out and came back with the bag and a spoon. "I was saving this for a right time, and I figure that's about now." He opened up the bag, pulled out a small jar and some flatbread. Mike handed out a flatbread to the three, and kept one for himself. He held the jar up. "Huckleberry jam." He handed it and a spoon to Ellie, who opened the jar and smelled.

"Mmmm, that's good." She said. She started to hand the jar back to Mike.

"No, you first."

Ellie spooned out some jam and spread it on the flatbread, then handed the jar to Jim. She took a bite, smiled a purple smile and said, "Thanks, Mike."

"Where did you get this?" Joel asked Mike, as Jim handed him the jar after he spread some jam on his bread.

"Joanie wanted to give us a little treat for the trip. Who was I to say 'no'?"

As they slowly ate their treat, enjoying every bite, a howl pierced the darkness of the night.

"Wolf?" Ellie asked.

Jim nodded. "They'll leave us alone. There's more than enough buffalo and other food. Besides, we can take care of ourselves."

"We watch each other's backs. That's the only way." Ellie said.

Joel nodded. "If it wasn't for Ellie, I can't count the number of times I'd be dead." He said, looking at her, then back at the others. "The first time she saved my life, we were in Pittsburgh. We ran into hunters in an abandoned hotel. Ellie and I had gotten separated. I was ambushed by a hunter and he was drowning me. Ellie came out of nowhere and grabbed that guy's gun and shot him. I was an ungrateful son-of-a-bitch. I yelled at her for not staying put, not staying safe." Joel, sitting next to Ellie, put his hand on her knee, and she put her hand on top of his, intertwining her fingers in his. "After I cleared my head and thought about what happened, I realized that what she did was the bravest and most courageous thing I'd probably ever seen anybody do." He looked at her. "I hope let you know, later, what that really meant and what an ass I was."

"You did." Ellie said. "You told me, in your own special way. Plus, you gave me a gun. That was when I realized that we were equal in this. Your job was to take care of me and my job was to take care of you."

They passed the huckleberry jam around until they emptied out the jar. Joel and Ellie buried the trash under a bright full moon.

Six days later, they crossed the Platte River again using the I-80 bridge. This time, the bridge and the approach was deserted. Nevertheless, they carefully scouted the area before crossing.

After they crossed, Jim took out his map. "Jed said the church was called St. Gerald's and it was near where the interstate crossed a main highway. It was closer to the highway, he said, and east of the interstate. They were hightailing it away from infected, so I understand them not being more specific. Still, it shouldn't be too hard to find."

"Look!" Ellie said, pointing off in the distance. A thin column of smoke stretched from the ground to the sky. She turned to Joel. "Didn't Bill signal you guys with smoke so you'd know where he was when you'd come around?"

"That he did. Ellie, you're right on point there." Joel said. "Bill, you smart son-of-a-bitch."

Following the signal, they made it to St. Gerald's church by early afternoon. It was circled by an iron fence, just like Jed and Beth had said. They found a place to stash the horses and scouted the area on foot. There was a small bluff in between the road and the church.

"See, over there." Mike said. The other three followed where he was pointing, looking down off the small bluff. The church was two or three hundred yards away.

Jim took out his binoculars and pointed them in the direction of the church. "Yep, just like they said. Infected. A bunch of 'em."

Mike was studying the church and the streets around it. He took off his pack and pulled out a notebook and pencil. Sketching quickly and in silence, he drew a layout of the area. "Come on, let's go back to the horses and get our plan together."

The horses were in an old vehicle repair garage. "First thing, I guess," Mike said, "does Bill know how to ride a horse?"

Joel and Ellie looked at each other. "I don't know." Joel said. "He never said one way or the other."

"I hope like hell he can. We'll probably need to make a quick exit anyway, so we should empty the water and redistribute Patch's load so Bill can ride her if need be. He's going to have to learn quick if he doesn't know how. If he doesn't know how to ride, we're going to have to double him at least until we're safely away. I'm not sure any of you want him riding behind you all the way back. Ellie, since you're the lightest, do you want to double him if he can't ride?"

"Okay. If he's nasty about it, I'm dumping him off though." She said. The others looked blankly at her. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding."

"If he's ugly, just hold it in until we get safe. I'll deal with him then. The most important thing is get him and us out of here alive." Joel said. Ellie nodded.

After watering the horses and filling their canteens, they emptied the bags and secured them to the horses. They redistributed Patch's load on the other four horses, leaving Cinder light, since she might have to carry both Ellie and Bill.

Mike sat down with the rest and pulled out the map he drew. "From what I saw, there were about thirty clickers around the church. I didn't see any runners, but that doesn't mean there aren't any there. If we come from the east, there's more cover. Once we find a gate or way to get in, I don't think we should waste a bomb just yet. We only need a few seconds to cut the lock or chain, if there is one, and then we're in. After we find Bill and get him, then we'll probably have to use a - " Mike paused. "Ellie, please tell me you packed some alcohol in that first-aid kit you brought."

"Do you think I'd go anywhere and not bring stuff to make a Molotov?" She said, with a calculating grin. She went over to Cinder, opened up the kit and pulled out a large bottle of alcohol and some rags. "I didn't want to bring glass bottles in case they broke they might cut the stuff in here. I'd bet we can find some around here, though."

The others looked around the garage and in a few minutes, found four glass bottles. Joel and Ellie carefully assembled the Molotovs.

"So, after we find Bill, we use the Molotovs on the other side away from wherever we came in, take Bill to the horses and leave. Anything I'm missing?"

"We're taking guns, just in case?" Joel asked.

"Yeah, but if we don't have to shoot, let's not." Mike said, picking up a small pair of bolt cutters.

The four holstered pistols, Ellie took her bow, and the rest picked up baseball bats. They all took a Molotov and quietly made their way to the church. They could see the church straight on down the street, but there were also about a dozen clickers between them and the church. The four turned right, going the eastern approach, and crept down a side street. Mike, taking point, stopped and held up his fist. The others stopped and saw a lone clicker making his way down the sidewalk.

"I'll take him." Joel whispered, unsheathing his knife. He quietly approached the clicker from the back, then pounced, driving the knife into the clicker's neck. The clicker died without a sound.

After another three blocks, they could see the church parking lot. A half-dozen clickers shambled aimlessly in the lot between them and the church fence. Mike pointed at a pile of bricks on the street and they all grabbed one. Mike mouthed 'on three', and gestured toward the other end of the parking lot.

He counted three with his hand, and the four threw their bricks in unison. At the sound of the bricks hitting the far parking lot, the clickers screeched, and moved quickly toward the sound. Mike and the group sprinted toward the fence, where they spotted a gate. The chain on the gate had already been cut, but the gate was secured by a rope, fairly recently by the look of it. Mike used his knife to cut the rope.

As he opened the gate, a clicker came out of nowhere. It grabbed the back of Ellie's shirt. "Fucker!" She yelled as she pulled away. Joel used his bat as a battering ram against the clicker's face. It staggered back as Joel, now able to generate a full swing of his bat, connected with the clicker's head. Its head exploded as it fell back. A second clicker lunged at Joel just as they all made it through the gate. As they went through, they all heard a buzz, and looked just in time to see an arrow strike the second clicker where its eye would be, and bury itself deep in what served as a brain. The second clicker fell back dead.

On the steps leading into the church, bow in hand, was Bill. He threw a length of rope to Joel, who caught it and quickly tied the gate locked. Bill opened the door and wordlessly motioned them to come inside. They hurried up the steps and inside and Bill closed the door.

They found themselves in a wide hallway that led to the back of the sanctuary. They all paused, looking at each other awkwardly.

Finally, Joel broke the silence.

"Bill - I understand you need another favor."

"Joel." Bill said. "Thanks for coming." He looked at Ellie and gave her a nod. "Ellie, you too."

_This isn't the Bill I know. _Ellie thought. _He's being . . . nice. _Ellie, not knowing what to make of Bill's friendly greeting, nodded back.

"Bill, this is Mike and Jim." Joel said. They exchanged handshakes.

"So you're the one we're to get to Jackson?" Mike asked.

"I'm the one." Bill said, as he went to the window by the door and looked out for a minute or two. He went back to the others.

"Your smoke signal saved us a lot of time." Joel said. "Good thinking."

"I was hoping you'd remember." Bill said. "I've kept it going for about a week now." He paused. "It looks like none of the other infected heard the commotion, so we're safe here for the moment. There's water and food in the room over there," he said, pointing with his thumb to a side room. "What I need is in my rucksack so I can leave when you give the word."

Joel paused for several seconds. "Bill, you never were one to play well with others, by your own choice. What happened? Why do you want to be with people, now, in a community?" Joel asked.

"I couldn't stay in Lincoln any more. Besides the fact that it was being overrun, I kept thinking about you two, going to where your brother was. I had an epiphany; I guess you'd call it. I'd had enough of myself being my only company. All I could think about was I wanted to go where you were going - out to your brother's. So I left."

"Mike and Jim have been living out there a while. They came there with my brother. They've got a pretty good little town there. You realize you're going to have to be part of that, right?"

Bill nodded. "I have no problem pulling my weight, doing whatever is needed. There's good people left in the world, too, and it's about time I joined them."

"Well, if you remember how to fix cars and engines, you'll be pulling your weight in no time." Joel said. "We'll get you there, but we need to leave quick."

The corners of Bill's mouth turned up in a smile.

_Is that the first time I've ever seen him smile? _Ellie thought.

"I remember, Joel." Bill said. "Let's go."


	6. The Reluctant Horseman

"No, I've never ridden a horse before." Bill said, in response to Joel's question.

"Well, I guess we guess we go to plan double-ride." Mike said, as they all looked at Ellie.

"Fuck." She said, looking at Bill. "You ride with me. That means I own your ass. You do what I say, when I say it. Don't think I've forgotten about you handcuffing me to a pipe."

"Well, yeah, that wasn't very nice." Bill said.

"I'm doing this for Maria and because the town needs you, not as a favor to you. Got it?"

Bill looked out, nowhere in particular, and then sighed. "Got it."

"OK, Ellie, he understands." Joel said. Ellie looked at Joel and he thought he saw the slightest smirk. _She's enjoying this, I think._

Jim came back from the window. "They're still shuffling around the parking lot, and I think I saw a couple of runners." He was munching on some communion wafers. "Damn, these things are bad. I guess they'll keep you alive, barely."

"That's all the food that's left. There was some stuff in a food bank they had here, but once I finished that, well, let's just say you get used to them." Bill said.

Mike spread his hand-drawn map on the table. "Here's where most of the infected are," pointing at the west side of the parking lot. "If we throw two Molotovs right here where the parking lot narrows, it's a natural chokepoint that may slow them down. Joel, you and Jim take the Molotovs and hit that spot. We'll cut the rope to open the gate and when the infected start to go to the fire, we'll take off. When we reach the bushes on the left, we can hide behind them and go back down the side street to the horses."

Mike looked at the map of Omaha that Jim unfolded on the table. "Once we have the horses, barring disaster, we'll ride down Q Street to the left. It's a straight shot to the interstate. We know that the interstate bridge is okay. When we get to the interstate, we can go off the road. That will get the horses off the concrete and on the grass. We can slow down and give the horses a breather, again barring disaster."

He folded the map back up and gave it to Jim, who put it back in his backpack. Bill picked up his shotgun and made sure it was loaded. They quickly put on their backpacks and adjusted them. Joel took two Molotovs and gave one to Jim. "Wish I'd worked more on my twenty-yard throws over the middle." Joel joked.

"Were you a quarterback?" Jim asked.

"Not for real, just backyard stuff. You?"

"Baseball was my game. Third base and outfield."

"Did you play anywhere?"

"High school in California, then I played for LSU."

"No kidding? Did you get drafted?"

"Not a chance. But I had fun."

"OK, let's do this." Mike said, as he pushed open the door and led the way out. They went quietly down the stone stairs to the gate they came in. Joel and Jim went right and followed the fence down to where it was closest to the narrow point in the parking lot that was their target. Mike silently cut the rope and opened the gate. He pointed at Joel and Jim.

Ellie and Bill waited by the gate. Ellie eyed him. "You've lost a lot of weight." Ellie said. "That will make Cinder happy."

"Cinder?" Bill asked.

"The horse you're riding." Ellie said. "Duh."

Through the fence, Joel and Jim could see that if the infected stayed on their pattern, in ten seconds or so a half-dozen clickers would be together in the chokepoint. As the clickers converged, Joel produced a lighter and lit the Molotovs as they both took aim. Joel silently counted three and both threw the firebombs.

They both sprinted to the gate, not taking time to admire their handiwork. The bombs landed ten feet apart and ignited a huge fireball that consumed the clickers. Attracted by the sound, moving purely on instinct and completely without intelligence, the rest of the clickers ran toward the fire.

The five sprinted out of the gate and toward the line of bushes.

Ellie glanced left. "Runners!" She cried.

From the left came a group of seven runners. As the first one came close, Bill conjured, seemingly out of thin air, his Kukri knife and beheaded the first runner. He stabbed the second through the throat and kicked the body away. The others, using bats and knives, quickly killed the rest of the infected.

The clickers in the parking lot that weren't on fire heard the commotion and started toward them. Clickers, not as fast as runners, fell behind as the five sprinted down the street to the garage.

The horses heard the fighting down the street and were stamping and shaking their heads nervously. The five ran into the garage and quickly untied the horses and mounted up. Bill and Ellie were the last.

"Put your left foot in the stirrup and swing your leg over." Ellie ordered Bill, while she was holding Cider. He did as he was told and sat in the saddle. "Take your feet out of the stirrups and pull me up. Now!" Ellie yelled, holding her hands out. Bill kicked his feet out of the stirrups as he reached for Ellie. He grabbed her hands and pulled. In one motion, she put her left foot in the stirrup and swung her leg over, smacking Bill in the head. "Sorry!" She said, turning her head back to him for a second as she took the reins and sat in the saddle.

Clickers reached the entrance to the garage just as they spurred the horses into a run. Jim, on Sugar with Patch in tow, was the first out. Ellie and Bill were next. Joel and Mike, holding baseball bats, killed two clickers that had gotten close and were trying to grab the horses. Bringing up the rear, they spurred Abby and Dalton into a gallop and quickly caught up with Jim, Ellie and Bill. A few infected, attracted by the sounds of horses galloping, came out from between buildings, but they were quickly left behind.

Ellie and Bill were able to fit together on the large western saddle. Cinder was at a full gallop and fortunately it was a straight shot down Q Street. Bill held Ellie's waist to steady himself. Ellie didn't have to make any turns, which might have caused a problem as Bill didn't have any stirrups to protect himself against Isaac Newton's laws of motion. Ellie had prepared herself for a difficult ride, but Bill was surprisingly quiet and steady, for someone who had never ridden a horse before.

Still at a full gallop, they followed Q Street in a straight line until they reached Interstate 80. Jim slowed Sugar to a walk, and the others reined their horses as well. They slowly made their way down the embankment to the grassy area on the side of the interstate. They paused, looked and listened. The only sound they heard were the horses breathing heavily from their gallop.

"I don't see or hear anything." Joel said. "Looks like we left whatever infected that were chasing us behind."

"That was intense." Ellie said. She glanced back over her shoulder to Bill. "Good job."

"Thanks." He replied.

"Let's get as far as we can before we have to make camp. Just in case there are some that are following us." Mike said.

There were still a couple of hours of daylight left. Mike kept the horses to a walk for a good while, until he was sure they had recovered from their run. They altered at a slow gallop and a walk so that they could put as much distance away from Omaha as possible. After about five miles, they crossed the Platte River and left the Omaha suburbs for good.

"Stop for a minute while I check the map." Jim said. He pulled his map and took a quick bearing. "Our first priority is finding water. Branched Oak Lake is about five miles away. We should make it before nightfall." He took a quick reading with his compass, gauged his waypoint. "OK, I've got it." He clucked Abby into a walk and the rest followed.

Twilight was just starting to descend when they reached the lake. Jim found a quiet area with easy access to the water for the horses and grass for them to eat. They dismounted and unsaddled the grateful horses. Bill, Mike and Jim went off to tend to business, while Ellie looked for Joel, who was coming over to her. They hugged.

"Can you start wearing a suit of armor, like the knights did, so I don't worry you'll get bit?" Ellie asked.

"We'll get matching sets. That'll look cute."

Ellie put her head on his chest. "I love you." She said.

"I love you." He said.

They remained in their embrace just a little too long. Abby, who was closest to them, made a sound not unlike a person clearing their throat to get attention.

"Horses!" They said in unison, as Ellie went to Cinder, while Joel tended to Abby.

Bill returned and watched as Ellie took the bridle off Cinder and replaced it with a halter.

"Do you want to take her for a drink?" Ellie asked.

"Sure." Bill replied.

She handed the lead, attached to the halter, to Bill.

"Just pull gently, she'll follow."

"Easy, girl." Bill said, as he came up to her head. He tentatively reached a hand out for her to sniff, which she did. He stroked her nose and head gently. Cinder pushed her nose into Bill's chest and gave a big blow.

Ellie smiled. "I think she likes you."

Cinder followed Bill down to the water's edge, where the others had already led their horses. Cinder joined the others, put her head to the water, and drank deeply.

Joel retrieved the water bags and carried them down to the water. Ellie left Bill and helped Joel with the bags.

"I see you didn't kick him off." Joel said. "He must be behaving himself."

"For someone who never rode a horse before, he did pretty good."

Joel went down to the water's edge and cupped a little in his hand and then tasted it.

"See what you think, if this is a good place to fill up."

She reached down to taste the water. "Seems fine to me. Looks clear enough." Most of the fresh water everywhere was safe to drink, since there wasn't a whole lot of human activity to contaminate the water and the rain. Joel and Ellie started to fill up the bags.

He looked at Ellie, who saw him looking at her. "What?" She asked.

"Just taking in how beautiful you are." Joel said.

Ellie felt herself blush.

"In fact," Joel said, "you're the prettiest girl in this camp."

"Don't make me push you in." She said, looked around, and then gave him a quick kiss.

They finished filling up the water bags, then carried them back to where they were making camp. Bill, five leads in his hand, had five horses following him back from the lake's edge.

"Where do you want the horses?" He asked.

Jim came over and took a lead. "We'll tie them to some trees. The lead is long enough they can graze." He and Bill secured the horses and went back to join the others sitting down. Jim pulled out a box of the wafers out of his backpack and offered them around.

"I thought you said those were awful." Mike said

"Well, I guess you can get used to them. Anyone?" They all took a handful. Even though they running joke was how bland they were, it was still food. It was highly unlikely there was a truck stop with a restaurant attached just over the hill.

"So, Bill, how did you end up in Omaha?" Joel asked.

"Well, I stewed around for a while after you left. The infected started to get the better of my traps and barricades. I made it back to the church, and took account of what was going on. The idea came into my head to go west, where you two were going." He said, gesturing to Joel and Ellie. "It got into my head, and stayed there. Finally, I knew it was what I had to do. So, I packed up and left. By the way, how far did you make it in that truck?"

"Pittsburgh." Joel said. "I was an idiot and tried to go straight through instead of around. Hunters ambushed us."

"Oh. Sorry to hear that."

"Yeah." Joel said. "So you left?"

"I stayed on the smaller roads. Hunted and found enough food to keep me going. I got as far as Omaha when I caught some kind of lung infection and winter got bad. I couldn't walk far without getting out of breath. I found that church and holed up there. When winter ended, that's when Jed and Beth found me. I guess they made it to Jackson okay?"

"They did." Mike said. "They told us about you. You took a big chance, that we'd come and get you. I mean, from what Ellie and Joel told me, you weren't best of friends."

"They last thing you said to us was 'get the fuck out of my town.'" Ellie said.

"Yeah, I guess I thought I had nothin' to lose. There weren't any people because of the infected around, and I could have probably stayed in that church, scavenged stuff and avoided the infected for a good while, until I was sure you weren't coming after me. I was leaving here and going to Jackson, or die trying, regardless of the situation."

"Well, we aren't bringing you back out of the goodness of our hearts." Joel said. "My brother and his wife, Mike and Jim here, and some others started their settlement. It's about twenty families. They've got a pretty good setup there. There's engineers and the like that's made it so we have electricity from a hydroelectric plant. They got that up and running. We've got a doctor and people who know horses and farming, and how to build things. What we don't have is someone who knows about cars and engines. That's why we came to get you. We need you for that reason."

"Yeah? I can help with that." Bill said.

"There's no shortage of cars around, some of them are in pretty good shape. They'd been in people's garages all these years. Except, we can't get any running. We can charge the batteries and find gasoline, but none of us can make 'em run." Mike said.

"It'll be nice to smell grease and gasoline again. I am grateful for helping me get out of there and taking me with you. I won't let you down."

"I'm sorry. You're being too nice. How do we even know this is Bill?" Ellie said, jerking her thumb at him. "I mean, I saw 'Invasion of the Body Snatchers.' He's acting too nice. That isn't the Bill I know. What if he's a pod person?"

"I don't think he's a pod person." Joel said. "When did you see 'Invasion of the Body Snatchers?"

"They showed it to us in military school. I think more for anything else so we'd be suspicious of anybody acting funny or different. They said the Fireflies might have people dressed like soldiers that were spying. So, they felt like this would help us spot them."

"Would it make you feel any better if I said the way you drive a horse makes my ass hurt like hell?" Bill said, looking at Ellie.

"Ride." Ellie said.

"What?" Bill asked.

"Ride. You ride a horse. You don't drive it."

"Whatever the fuck. My ass still hurts."

"That's more like the Bill I know. Okay. You aren't a pod person."

"Why, thank you." Bill said sarcastically.

Jim chuckled. "If that was what it was like when you all were together back in Lincoln, it's a wonder you didn't kill each other."

"Yeah." Bill said. "I'm still me, but trusting in other people and having them know they can trust me? It's something new, and I'm working on it, but I can say it isn't a bad thing."

After a long pause, Ellie spoke up. "Since nobody brought it up and I'm the one having to share a horse - me and Bill aren't going to double all the way back, right?"

"I was thinking about that." Mike said. He looked at Bill. "How about we take tomorrow and get you and Patch together and learn enough so you can ride by yourself." To everyone, he said, "I think we'd be best served doing that before we get back on the trail."

"Sounds good to me." Joel said. Jim nodded.

"Patch?" Bill said.

"The horse's name you'll be riding. The brown-and-white one. Patch? Get it? Dude, you seriously need to get a clue." Ellie said.

"And I suppose you'll be the one to teach me?" Bill said to Ellie.

"As a matter of fact, I am." Ellie said, smirking. "Don't worry. I won't yell at you. Much."

Joel chuckled. "This I can't wait to see."

The darkness had chased away the last remaining daylight and the stars filled the sky. The five set up their bedrolls and went to sleep.

Early the next morning, Ellie had Bill practicing saddling and bridling the horses.

"Make sure the blanket or pad is smooth." She said, running her hand over the pad Bill put on Patch. "If it's wrinkled, that won't feel good when you tighten the cinch."

Bill nodded and gently put the saddle on.

"See that there's nothing caught up under it, too. Sometimes a strap or something will get under there. If you do like you did and flip the stirrup and parts over the seat before you put it on, it should be okay."

"Did you grow up around horses?" Bill asked. "You know this stuff pretty well."

"Nah. I learned from a soldier back in Boston and doing stuff back in Jackson. It's easy."

Bill finished saddling and bridling Patch and Cinder, and Ellie checked his work.

"Looks good," she said, running her hand over Cinder's saddle. "Let's get you riding."

Bill and Ellie mounted their respective horses, and Ellie showed Bill the basics: starting, stopping, walking, turning and backing up. Soon she was showing him the different gaits as they rode around the lake.

Mike and Joel were cleaning everyone's guns under the shade of a tree and watching as Ellie put Bill through the paces, while Jim had his maps out plotting routes back home.

"Looks like she's got a knack for teaching. For somebody who's never been on a horse before, Bill's looking good." Mike said.

"Yeah, he is. I think she likes telling him what to do. I don't know how much horse time she's had - I know a soldier back in Boston showed her how to ride, but between that and what time we've been in Jackson is all she's had. She doesn't have a knack for just horses, but everything you show her. She picks up on things fast. I mean, scary fast." Joel said.

As it started to approach noon, Ellie and Bill rode up to the others and dismounted. Joel got up and handed Ellie two canteens. She threw one to Bill and drank from the other.

"I think that's enough for the morning. Don't want to burn him out the first day." Ellie said, sitting down in the shade.

"You two look pretty good. If you change your mind about working with Dr. Sasha, you can always give riding lessons." Joel said.

"Nah. There's more to learn about medicine from Dr. Sasha. Miles and Kathryn are much better at this than I am."

Bill, after watering and tethering the horses with the others, came over and sat down as well.

Jim stood up. "These guys have been doing all the work this morning. Let's get them some lunch."

"Hey, cleaning guns is work." Mike said.

"It is if you've shot them. We haven't. Come over here and help me."

After lunch and the heat of the day dissipated, Ellie took Bill out for more riding lessons. She also showed him other things, like how to clean their hooves and check them for rocks and other foreign objects.

When the sun got low in the sky, Bill and Ellie returned to the others and took care of their horses. As they were eating canned stew and the not-so-vile communion wafers, Ellie decided to play the part of a very proud teacher. "You're ready to ride with us now, Bill. This means your own ass gets a horse and doesn't have to share mine."

"Thanks. You did a good job, being patient with someone who'd hardly ever seen a horse before." Bill said, and then cocked an eye at Ellie. "You know, I think my days of finding you irritating are certainly coming to a middle."

Joel laughed. "Captain Mal. Firefly, right?"

Bill smiled. "Yep."

"What? Was that a Firefly saying? Who is 'Captain Mal'?" Ellie asked.

"Different thing. This was before the outbreak. There was a science fiction show called 'Firefly' that was pretty good. 'Captain Mal' was the main character."

"We didn't see that one at the school. Or, I don't remember seeing it."

"You'd remember it. I think you'd like it a lot." Joel thought for a second. "Even if they did have it, they probably wouldn't show it."

"Why?"

"Well, the premise is about these rebel types that don't like the established government very much. They smuggle and do other things that the government wouldn't approve of. The show's set up so they are the good guys. I wouldn't think a military school would want their students to see that."

"It sounds good. They have movies and shows in Jackson. Do you think they have it there?"

"I don't know. I don't remember anyone saying anything about it. We can look for it, though. Since we aren't on a schedule any more to get to Bill we can check some places out on the way back."

Later that night, Joel found it necessary to get up in the middle of the night. He carefully go up so as not to disturb Ellie. The others were also asleep, snoring softly. Joel went a discreet distance away and on the way back, found himself looking at the stars. On impulse he sat down on a small rise. He thought of all the things that happened to him in such a short time. Being here, with Ellie, he felt like pinching himself so he'd know this wasn't a dream, him being so happy. Only a year ago, he was a smuggler in Boston, respected and perhaps feared, but just a shell of a man. Now, meeting Ellie, sharing a journey of a lifetime, falling in love, it all seemed so improbable. What if Robert hadn't gotten greedy and sold their guns? What if someone else in Marlene's circle volunteered to take Ellie to the capitol? What if the army hadn't picked that particular day to sweep the capital and kill the Fireflies that were going to pick up Ellie?

He heard a rustle, and turned just as Ellie put her hand on his shoulder and sat down beside him. "Are you okay?" She asked.

"I am. It's such a pretty night, I wanted to see if I could see any shooting stars." He looked at Ellie. "You should be sleeping." He said. "You had a hard day."

"I woke up and you weren't there. I waited a minute and when you didn't come back, I came looking for you."

He reached out his hand and found hers. She leaned against him. They sat there for several minutes, holding hands and watching the stars. The occasional meteor would streak across the sky.

"You know, the story about wishing on a falling star? I thought of something," Ellie said. "I don't have to wish anymore, because what I always wanted came true. I have you and I have a home. We're going home. Our home."

Joel smiled and felt a comforting warmth over him. "All these years, I stayed places, but I never had a home. Now I do. Being together with you, having a home with you, looks like my wish came true, too."

Ellie squeezed his hand, and they held each other under the clear night sky.


End file.
